Facebook turns 22 — how a student project became global

 February 4, 2026, marks Facebook's 22nd anniversary. Since its inception, Facebook has grown from a student website into one of the world's most influential digital services.

Novyny.LIVE tells how the social network was created and achieved success.

How it all began and why Facebook grew so quickly

Its history began on February 4, 2004, when Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg launched the website TheFacebook. Initially, it was only available to Harvard students, but within the first month, more than half of the university population had registered on the platform. Zuckerberg's classmates soon joined the project: Dustin Moskovitz, who was responsible for the software, and Chris Hughes, who was responsible for promotion.

Student success quickly turned into growth: first, the network opened to other Ivy League universities, and then to most educational institutions in the U.S. and Canada. In 2005, the word "the" was removed from the name, and the platform became known as Facebook. That same year, the domain Facebook.com was purchased for $200,000.

A significant milestone in its global expansion was opening registration to all internet users aged 13 and older on September 26, 2006. Thereafter, the user base grew even faster. In October 2007, Microsoft acquired 1.6% of Facebook's shares for $240 million, valuing the company at $15 billion.

In 2008, Facebook opened an international office in Dublin, strengthening the platform's global presence. In 2012, Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion, expanding its influence in the social media sector.

As Facebook grew, it faced crises, lawsuits, and waves of criticism regarding privacy. One of the first high-profile conflicts arose shortly after the launch when the Winklevoss brothers accused Zuckerberg of stealing their idea. The dispute ended with a $65 million settlement.

Despite these difficulties, Facebook regularly introduced tools that became commonplace for everyday use, such as the news feed, groups, events, and chat.

Another milestone occurred in 2021 when the company rebranded and changed its name to Meta Platforms, Inc. This reflected the corporation's new focus on developing the metaverse, a virtual environment where people can interact in real time through avatars.

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