HN Explorer

What Is Facebook/Meta?

1 points by NarcisMirandes ↗ HN
On the website, it says: "Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses." https://about.meta.com

This sounds very generic to me.

In an interview, Mark says he wants Meta to be the most important AI company. So, it is now an AI company? That is confusing. AI is the goal, not an instrument to reach another goal.

What is Meta? How would you define it?

8 comments

[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 33.9 ms ] thread
theGeatZhopa
Social media cancer

May I ask, why is it so important to know? The self description of Meta is quite clear. What Zuckerberg says is not law. It's a plan.

I don't get the importance of knowing what meta is.

NarcisMirandes
All the big companies have a very generic, hazy definition of themselves. They all try to do everything. The stock market forces them to grow. So, they go in all directions.

You have a good point, perhaps it does not matter how do they define themselves.

theGeatZhopa
The definition is truly not a thing that matters. It's the "verticalicity" and "horizontalicity" of the business. Alphabet is very horizontal because they have erm.. Robots.. Internet search.. erm.. Internet services.. mobiles, cars, ... and much more.

So, what should they even write as self-description?

While vertical parts like Google and everything that has to do with it can be described easily, with horizontal parts it's more difficult.

May be that's a reason why each of the big companies have a generic self-description? It's not feasible to describe each of the vertical parts when one is broad in the horizontal, too. And big companies are mostly broad in the horizontal, too..

NarcisMirandes
I see your point. It's interesting, and I had not thought about it.

Apart from that, their lack of clear definition and their expansion vertically and horizontally cause them to lose focus and be less effective.

A small startup with a clear mission and vision seems more attractive and has more possibilities to change everything.

JohnFen
Meta is a machine to generate as much money from users personal data as is possible.
NarcisMirandes
Are you sure this defines them? Is this the main characteristic that makes them different from many others?
JohnFen
I think so, yes. It's certainly not the only thing that defines them, and they aren't the only company that can be so defined, but it's their primary characteristic and the reason they're in business. Everything they do is aimed toward that end.
NarcisMirandes
I agree, good point.

Many companies could be defined in similar terms. They move in the same direction, and the differences are blurred. It isn't easy to find what makes them different.