【Watch Peaky Blinders】

Facebook has created a new empire over the last six months. It has nothing to do Watch Peaky Blinderswith Snapchat or even virtual reality, and it's not just about video.

SEE ALSO: Facebook wants your boss to let you use Facebook

Facebook Workplace is the social network's effort to get serious about getting into the business world, and Facebook is making a serious push.

The Workplace platform connects businesses internally, where companies can pay for or (as of this latest update) use a free version of a software that looks and functions similarly to Facebook but is bolstered with a more work-oriented tools.

Workplace is already used by about 14,000 organizations in 77 languages and in every country, including Antarctica, Facebook announced Tuesday in time with their annual developers conference, F8.

Clients include Fortune 500 companies like Starbucks along with startups. Starbucks, for example, uses it to broadcast weekly live videos from the CEO and for managers to check in with employees.

Facebook announced new features Tuesday that it hopes will make Workplace a much more appealing product. Prior to this week, Workplace included multi-company Groups, live video, reactions, auto-translate, video and group audio calling, trending posts, and search filters.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

As of Tuesday, Workplace offers new file-sharing integrations, including Salesforce, Quip, and Box. Notably, Dropbox is absent from the initial release. (Update: Dropbox announced its integration later in the day.)

Facebook is also introducing bots into Workplace. Developers can build bots for work chat and for Groups to do tasks like help order food or order a Lyft.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"Bots help people weave Workplace into their daily workflow. At Facebook, we have over 100 of these bots helping people be more productive," said Simon Cross, product manager for Workplace.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Facebook is also integrated with eDiscovery and compliance partners to help with exporting documents, making it a better product for companies that have regulatory restrictions and are traditionally unable to use third-party software.

Workplace users can also soon broadcast live video from professional video gear.

The best selling point for Workplace, according to Facebook, continues to be that its so easy to sign up for and to use — because everyone already knows how to use Facebook.

"Everyone knows how to use it straight away," Cross said. "It's a modern communication layer of a company and connecting people in a way they've never been connected before."

Cross has worked at Facebook for the last six and a half years, and to him, Workplace is one of the most important projects the company has ever done. Obviously, he's biased, but he moved onto the team due to his fascination with Facebook's own use of Facebook during work.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"When I joined Facebook in 2010, Facebook ran on email. We started using groups in 2011 and 2012. It fundamentally changed how Facebook works, the speed at which we can make decisions and how close we feel too each other," Cross said.

"I cannot imagine working anywhere without it. What's humbling about this thing is companies are telling us the same thing," he continued.

What's next for Facebook Workplace is making it even easier for companies -- especially those companies without a lot of money and developers, even businesses where not everyone has a laptop or an email address.

Cross used the example of workers on the store floor of Starbucks. "They should be listening to customers. In those environments, it's all about the thing in your pocket, putting those in the hands of people on the shop floor, in factories, in fields," Cross said.

---

Featured Video For You

---

This paper can fold itself into a beautiful crane

---

Topics Facebook

• Science
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Tech
• Social Good
• Life
• Entertainment
• Shopping

• SpaceX's Starlink satellite launch in pictures
• Last minute iPhone 12 rumors: better zoom, more battery life
• New York Post declares boobs trendy again, the internet collectively rolls its eyes
• We tested just how mini the iPhone 12 Mini really is
• Best Garmin deal: Save over $100 on Garmin Forerunner 955
• White House reading letters from kids is a cheap form of distraction
• Coast Guard chief vows to stand with transgender personnel
• Twitter to limit retweets of politicians' misinformation
• This fat bear's before and after photos are stunning
• Militia used Facebook to plan kidnapping of Michigan governor, FBI claims

• Nathan Fillion trolls Hodor and, well, all of us, in new Instagram post
• Divorced couple still gets their family photo taken every year for their son
• Pink just dropped some words of wisdom about body positivity on Instagram
• This voicemail fail perfectly sums up grandparents and technology
• Absolutely no one can make sense of this celebrity chef's bizarre TV rant
• Soon you'll be able to make payments using WhatsApp in India
• This cartoon perfectly sums up the agonizing debate of grammar nerds
• AI engineer builds and marries his robot wife
• The mysterious hedge maze from 'S
• Apple dropping Imagination is a warning to iPhone suppliers everywhere

• Amazon Pet Day: All the best deals
• Coast Guard chief vows to stand with transgender personnel
• Apple unveils iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini with 5G support
• Gmail Go is now available to all Android users
• Best portable power station deal: Save $179.01 on the EcoFlow River 2 Max
• Dude punned his way into a Tinder date by riffing on a girl's name
• Here lies possibly the world's shortest political interview
• Dude punned his way into a Tinder date by riffing on a girl's name
• Put Me In, Coach!
• 4 things you should know about period poverty

• Operation Mensch
• Facebook Messenger gets shiny new logo, chat themes
• After a good dog chewed up a stuffed animal, an animal shelter turned it into a murder mystery
• Apple's iPhone 12 launch was like a 'Black Mirror' episode without the plot
• A Typical Wall Street Republican
• DEF CON's vote
• This iconic British '90s home makeover show is making a comeback and Twitter is wild for it
• Last minute iPhone 12 rumors: better zoom, more battery life
• Best soundbar deal: Save $300 on the Sonos Arc
• Apple Store is down, and that means new iPhones are coming