Launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is the leading application in the social media industry. Undoubtedly, it is the king of its genre. Most importantly, Facebook has not limited its reach only to its parent company, Facebook, but instead, it has acquired some of the biggest companies present out there. Facebook follows a simple mantra – buy the company before it becomes your potential rival. Its name is taken among the top 5 technology-related companies, which are mainly Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook.
Nevertheless, in this post, we are going to look at the top 10 companies owned by Facebook in 2021. So, sit back, as we are going to find out the secret behind Facebook becoming a trillion-dollar company.
Top 10 Companies Owned By Facebook
Facebook is a trillion-dollar company, and it’s quite hard to generate such a big revenue with just a parent company. Facebook has a habit of buying a company that seems to be becoming its potential rival in the future. Talking about the numbers, Facebook has acquired 78 companies since its inception. So, what are the companies owned by Facebook? Below mentioned are all the Facebook inc. subsidiaries of 2021.
1. Instagram
Yes, you might be surprised to know that another social media giant, Instagram is owned by Facebook. Remember the Facebook mantra? – acquire a company before it becomes your potential rival. Launched in 2010, Instagram was working as an independent company until 2012, when Facebook acquired it for $1.0 billion.
As per many reports, Instagram generates more ad revenue than the parent company, Facebook. At the time of acquiring Instagram, Facebook motor wants to build Instagram as an independent app for photo sharing.
2. WhatsApp
Surprise! Surprise! The most popular messaging app, WhatsApp is also acquired by Facebook. WhatsApp was launched as an alternative to the costly text messaging services. And till now, WhatsApp is working on the same concept, i.e. providing calling and messaging facilities at almost zero cost.
Facebook acquired WhatsApp at $19 billion, and at the time of acquisition, WhatsApp was having a value of $1.5 billion. However, there isn’t any information about the exact revenue WhatsApp generates per year. Some estimates, WhatsApp will generate $5 billion in 2021.
3. Oculus VR
Oculus VR, virtual reality hardware and software company was acquired by Facebook just within few weeks of acquiring WhatsApp. The comany is mainly famous for its Oculus Rift, a headset specially designed for gaming. Ever since the acquisition of Oculus VR by Facebook, Oculus has managed to make various acquisitions of its own, Surreal Vision being the most popular.
Facebook acquired Oculus VR in the year 2014 for $2 billion. And because of this acquisition Oculus was able to make a name in the virtual reality market.
4. Onavo
Onavo was a web analytical company that was mainly designed to determine customer uses. It was founded in 2010 and was working as an independent firm till October 2013, when Facebook acquired it for an estimated cost of $100-200 million.
Although, many experts feel that Onavo is not the top Facebook inc. subsidiaries. But, according to us, Onavo helps Facebook to make crucial early determinations about other companies and apps to acquire.
5. Beluga
Just after one year of its release in 2010, Beluga was acquired by Facebook in the year 2011. Unfortunately, the acquisition cost hasn’t been made public yet. Initially, Beluga was a messaging app.
In the face of Beluga, Facebook acquired the social media companies most successful messenger platform. Looking at this acquisition, you can tell that Facebook again acquired one of its potential rivals.
6. CTRL-labs
CTRL-labs, a New York startup that mainly works on developing a way for humans to control computers using their brains was acquired by Facebook in 2019. The exact amount of the acquisition is still unknown, but many sources claim that the figure is between $500 million – $1 billion.
Facebook has been working on brain computing technology since 2016. And the acquisition of CTRL-labs will prove to be a great help to them.
7. LiveRail
LiveRail is a video ad tech startup, whose main motto is to connect marketers to publishers on the web and mobile. The firm was acquired by Facebook in 2014 at a price of $500. Launched in 2007, LiveRail has huge customer support that is mainly from Major League Baseball, ABC Family, A&E Networks, Gannett, and Dailymotion.
In 2013, LiveRail was having a target of generating $100 million revenue, but luckily Facebook comes up with a better offer, i.e. $500 million.
8. FriendFeed
FriendFeed is among the very first companies in which Facebook has invested. Facebook acquired FriendFeed in 2008 at a price point of $47.5 million. FriendFeed was mainly a platform that collects information from various social media sites, blogs, articles, and RSS feed.
At the time of acquisition, FriendFeed was a startup that allows users to share link and status update online. Facebook paid around $15 million in cash, and the rest of the money was invested in Facebook stock.
9. Ascenta
Ascenta was acquired by Facebook in 2014 at an unknown price. But according to many reports, the figure is even less than $20 million. At the time of acquisition, Facebook said that they are not having any interest in the company, but instead, they are mainly interested in the minds of engineers that are working in that company.
Ascenta is basically a solar-powered drone maker company, whose aim is to deliver internet connectivity to the remotest place in the world. Basically, Facebook acquired the five-member engineering team from Ascenta.
10. Little Eye Labs
An Indian startup company, Little Eye Labs was acquired by Facebook in 2014 at a price point of $15 million. Little Eye Labs developed software that gives an accurate analysis of various Android apps, and according to Facebook, this software will help them to improve their productivity.
However, since the acquisition, Little Eye Labs have not updated its website or its social media accounts, so it’s hard to tell whether they are still working with Facebook or not.
Final Words
These are the top 10 companies owned by Facebook. Are you surprised by looking at any of the names mentioned in this post? Yes, then let us know in the comment section. Moreover, don’t forget to share your feedback and suggestions regarding the post in the space provided below.
