Zuckerberg’s “Metamates” Nickname for Staff Sends Internet Abuzz With Jokes

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in a virtual all-hands meeting on Tuesday, announced to staff that they are now “Metamates” instead of “Facebookers” to reflect the company’s new motto and values.

Credit: Meta

The nickname comes from Meta’s newly adopted internal motto, “Meta, metamates, me“, which, according to company CTO Andrew Bosworth, was derived from the Naval phrase, “ship, shipmates, self”. This supposedly refers to the order in which employees should prioritize their interests, with the company as a whole, of course, coming first.

"It's about the sense of responsibility we have for our collective success and to each other as teammates,” Zuckerberg explained in a Facebook post. “It's about taking care of our company and each other.”

While staff nicknames have become quite common among companies in Silicon Valley, Meta’s announcement still sent the internet abuzz with jokes. Perhaps it’s because “Metamates” does indeed sound kind of funny.

The New York Post reported that some Twitter users said the name sounds like a dating app from the metaverse. Others, meanwhile, said it sounds like a name for condoms, likely in reference to Mates, a condom brand sold in the U.K.

"Metamates report to the Metatorium for a Metameeting,” remarked one Twitter user.

Even Meta’s own employees couldn’t help but poke fun at the nickname that they’ll now be using to call each other within the company. “Does this mean we are on a sinking ship,” asked one employee on an internal chat obtained by The New York Times, referencing how Meta used the popular Navy refrain for its new motto.

Zuckerberg, in the same meeting, also listed six of the company’s updated values, which include moving fast together, focusing on long-term impact, building awesome things, living in the future, being direct and respecting colleagues.

This is likely another effort from Meta to distance itself from its past as it moves forward with building its vision of the metaverse. Earlier this month, the company had more than US$250 billion of market value wiped out after posting disappointing earnings and reporting that user growth has stagnated.

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• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in an all-hands meeting announced to staff that they will now be called “Metamates” instead of “Facebookers” to reflect the company’s new values.

• The nickname comes from the company's new motto, “Meta, metamates, me“, a reference to the Navy's refrain, “ship, shipmates, self”.

• The announcement was met with mockery and ridicule, with Twitter users poking fun at the nickname.