Opinion: Mark Zuckerberg takes a page from Elon Musk's book

Last week, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook Inc was changing its name to Meta Platforms Inc, to reflect its focus on a new virtual- and augmented-reality platform 'for connecting people.' — Bloomberg

It seems to be a rite of passage that as technology billionaires get older, they spend more time chasing dreams they might have fantasized about as kids. There’s Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos with their rockets, and now Mark Zuckerberg, aged 37, with his plans to build an alternate digital reality known as the metaverse.

Last week, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook Inc was changing its name to Meta Platforms Inc, to reflect its focus on a new virtual- and augmented-reality platform “for connecting people.” It looked at first like the CEO was distancing himself from the company’s problems, but that is only part of the story. He also seems to be following in Musk’s footsteps, attempting, in his own way, to become a tech futurist with grandiose plans to change humanity. That may ultimately make Zuckerberg the clearest winner from Facebook’s pivot.