The muddy water leaked into the campus

Question

Sometimes, for whatever reason, you need to make a change.

Maybe something inside of you changed, and you want the outside to reflect it.

Maybe you want to change something from the outside in.

Maybe you're just a bit embarrassed.

This happened to someone I know. I hardly recognize them anymore. But to try and understand them I checked what happened with their friends.

The muddy water leaked into the campus

Phil found refuge in the heights

Virtually countless are hiding behind the letters

The one who cycles replaced his limb to live

The Research stood still and disguised itself as fruit

The underwater vehicle went underground

And my friend is now beyond.

Who is my friend?

Hints

#1

My friend is about 17 years old, but some of his friends are over a 100.

#2

My friend's friends are not so much his friends as they are simply members of the same category/class.

#3

The muddy water only sings with its weapons

Answer 1

Your friend is

Meta, formerly known as Facebook Inc

This whole riddle was solved in the comments by @Mazement @hexomino @fljx and @Amoz.

The riddle is about

companies changing their name or becoming a subsidiary of a another name.

The muddy water leaked into the campus

Military company Blackwater became Academi.

Phil found refuge in the heights

Philip Morris became a subsidiary of Altria.

Virtually countless are hiding behind the letters

Google (from googol meaning 10^100) became a subsidiary of Alphabet.

The one who cycles replaced his limb to live

The Lance Armstrong Foundation became part of the Livestrong Foundation.

The Research stood still and disguised itself as fruit

Research In Motion became Blackberry.

The underwater vehicle went underground

Pete's Super Submarines changed their name to Subway.

And my friend is now beyond.

Facebook Inc. changed its name to Meta.