Meta Strategy Case: Evaluating a Facebook Move Into Sports and Fitness Tracking Products

Meta's CEO wants to know whether Facebook should invest in building products for sports and activity tracking. Give a recommendation with the reasoning behind it, and describe what Facebook should build. ### Clarifying Questions - Does "Facebook" mean only the Facebook app, or any Meta product, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Meta's VR headsets and smart glasses? - What does "sports" cover here: personal fitness and activity tracking, amateur clubs and leagues, or following professional sports? - Is hardware, such as a dedicated wearable, in scope, or only software? - What should the investment achieve, and over what time frame: engagement, new revenue, or support for Meta's hardware plans? ### Part 1 — Should Facebook invest, and why? Assess whether this is a worthwhile investment for Facebook and make a clear recommendation, explaining the reasons for and against. ```hint What only Meta can do Weigh what Meta could offer active people that dedicated fitness apps and wearable makers cannot, and what it would cost Meta, beyond money, to hold people's workout, health and location data. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - Fit with Meta's mission, products and business model, and the specific gain for Meta. - The existing landscape of trackers and fitness apps, and where a gap remains. - Risks, especially health-data privacy and user trust, weighed into a clear recommendation. ### Part 2 — What should Facebook build? Assuming the company goes ahead, describe the product you would build: who it is for, which problems it solves, what ships first, and how you would measure success. ```hint Start from people, not sensors Facebook's strength is people, communities and events rather than measurement hardware. Ask which part of an active person's routine improves when friends, groups or local clubs are involved. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - A chosen user segment and its pain points. - A prioritized product concept that uses Facebook's existing assets, with a first version. - Success metrics and guardrails for that first version. ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A decisive recommendation, such as yes, no, or yes only in a specific form, rather than a list of pros and cons. - A distinction between building tracking technology and building on top of the trackers people already use. - A product that follows from the recommendation and from what Meta is uniquely placed to do. - A direct answer to the privacy and trust question for health and location data. - How the bet would be tested in stages, and what result would stop it. ### Follow-up Questions - A leading running and cycling app proposes a partnership instead of competition. Would you accept, and on what terms? - How would you persuade people who distrust Meta with their data to share their workouts and routes? - What would you measure in the first six months to decide whether to keep investing?