IN PICS | Facebook, Google, Twitter: Tech Giants Who Changed Their Names

Facebook in October 2021 announced that the company will change its name to Meta. The change reflects the company’s growing ambitions beyond social media and focus on the metaverse. [Image Credit: Getty]

The re-branding came after the company had to face a barrage of controversies regarding data privacy and political bias. [Image Credit: Getty]

In 1996, popular search engine Google was launched under the name of 'BackRub'. Later the company rebranded its name and technology as Google in 1998. According to Google, the word reflects their ambition to organise unlimited amounts of information on the Internet. [Image Credit: Getty]

In 2015, Google again restructured itself and “Alphabet” became the parent company of Google and several former Google subsidiaries. [Image Credit: Getty]

Instagram was first created as a dubbed photo-sharing app “Burbn”. The app allowed iPhone users to share their location, receive points for check-ins, and share post-event photos. However, initially the app failed to attract attention. [Image Credit: Getty]

Later the app altered multiple times before the founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger finally decided to focus on the photo sharing part and built what we now know as Instagram. [Image Credit: Getty]

Apple was initially called Apple Computers when it was founded in 1976. In 2007, co-founder Steve Jobs indicated that the company would delete the word computer from its name to better represent its expansion into the consumer electronics market. [Image Credit: Getty]

Late founder Steve Jobs said “The Mac, iPod, Apple TV and iPhone. Only one of those is a computer. So we’re changing the name.” [Image Credit: Getty]

When Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in July 1994, the company was called Cadabra, a nod to the classic magic word Abracadabra. Later the company bought a few domains including Awake.com, Browse.com, and Relentless.com. [Image Credit: Getty]

Even after the company was named Amazon, relentless.com remained their domain. If you go to relentless.com it will take you to Amazon.com. [Image Credit: Getty]

In 2013, Research In Motion (RIM), a wireless data technology developer in North America, changed its name to BlackBerry. It was an effort to rescue the fading brand of the firm which was founded in 1984. [Image Credit: Getty]

Then-CEO Thorsten Heins said: RIM created the first BlackBerry smartphone and changed the way millions of people around the world stay connected… As we launch BlackBerry 10 around the world, now is the right time to adopt the iconic BlackBerry name. [Image Credit: Getty]

Twitter emerged from the podcasting venture Odeo, which was founded in 2004 by Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey was an engineer at Odeo, he proposed the creation of an SMS (short message service, such as texting) that would allow a user to connect with a limited group of individuals. [Image Credit: Getty]

On March 21, 2006, Dorsey sent the first tweet (“just setting up my twttr”). The completed version of Twitter debuted in July 2006. Seeing a future for the product, in October 2006 Williams, Stone, and Dorsey bought out Odeo and started Obvious Corp. In March 2007, The company was named Twitter, Inc. [Image Credit: Getty]