Ivan is a Big Tech and India specialist. He also covers security, platforms, AI, and apps for TNW. It's a lot of stuff. He loves to say "Bleh." Ivan is a journalist covering Big Tech, India and policy. He also covers security, platforms, and apps to TNW. It's a lot of stuff. He loves to say "Bleh."Facebook joined an exclusive club consisting of US-based publicaly listed companies with a market capital of over $1 trillion. Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple and Microsoft are also members of this club, making Facebook the youngest company ever to achieve this milestone.Here's a quick history of Facebook and the significant milestones that have helped it to reach this point:TheFacebook was launched by Mark Zuckerberg and co. on the Harvard campus on February 4, 2004.It expands to even more universities next year and changes its name from Facebook to Facebook.It opened its doors to users over 13 years old from all countries with valid email IDs in September 2006.It began making money with ads in 2007 for the first time. It is now a major player in the digital advertising industry, along with Google.Facebook was in talks with Viacom, Microsoft and Yahoo to acquire the social network. The value of the acquisition is estimated at $1 billion.Microsoft later announces an advertising partnership with Facebook and invests $240million at an estimated value of $15 billion.Facebook acquired FriendFeed 2009, which led to the creation of the Like button. This feature is a classic.In 2011, Goldman invested $450 million in the company, making Zuckerberg & co. worth 50 billion.Facebook Messenger is also available on mobile devices with Android and iOS apps.Facebook goes public in 2012 with a value of $104 billion. It reaches 1 billion users worldwide in the same year.The company bought Instagram for $1 Billion just before its IPO.The firm buys Oculus, a manufacturer of VR headsets, in 2014 for $2 billion.In the same year, WhatsApp is acquired by Facebook for $19 billion.This is a very brief history of Facebook's product and money-making history. Facebook has been known for threatening users' privacy with scandals such as Cambridge Analytica. It also sneakily grabs your data. This has led to numerous anti-trust investigations against this company.The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) dismissed a case regarding acquisitions of WhatsApp or Instagram, just as Facebook had reached $1 trillion in market capital. Zukcerberg gets more money.
