Why Instagram’s founders are leaving the Facebook-owned app
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger say they will be taking time off to ‘understand what inspires us’
The co-founders of the social media giant Instagram are reportedly leaving the photo-sharing app, six years after selling it to Facebook for $1bn (£760m).
According to the New York Times, company chief Kevin Systrom and technical head Mike Krieger have already resigned from their positions. They will be parting ways with the company “in the coming weeks.”
In a joint statement, the Instagram founders said they were “ready for the next chapter” and “planning on taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Building new things requires that we step back, understand what inspires us and match that with what the world needs; that’s what we plan to do”, they said.
Following the statement, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said he “really enjoyed” working with the Instagram founders.
“Kevin and Mike are extraordinary product leaders and Instagram reflects their combined creative talents”, he said. “I’ve learned a lot working with them for the past six years and have really enjoyed it.”
Systrom and Krieger established Instagram in 2010. They continued to run the image-sharing app until its Facebook acquisition in 2012, the BBC reports.
Why are the Instagram founders leaving?
Neither Systrom nor Krieger gave a reason for leaving the company, but Facebook insiders told Bloomberg that the two had become “frustrated” with Zuckerberg’s increased involvement in the photo app.
This claim was backed by another company source, who told Tech Crunch that Facebook put pressure on Systrom to help expand the social network’s dwindling teenage audience – Instagram’s primary demography.
Either way, their departures now mean that the founders of Facebook’s three largest acquisitions – Instagram, WhatsApp and the virtual reality (VR) firm Oculus – have now all left the social media giant, The Daily Telegraph reports.
WhatsApp creator Jan Koum left the company in April following alleged clashes with Facebook management over the handling of personal data, while Oculus chief Palmer Luckey resigned after reportedly funding Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, the newspaper says.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 2, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Instagram rolls out teen accounts with new limits
Speed Read After facing pushback over child safety, Meta announced that all users under 18 will have their Instagram accounts modified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?
Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Instagram hopes that blurring nudity in messages will make teens safer
The Explainer The option will be turned on by default for users under 18
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How social media is limiting political content
The Explainer Critics say Meta's 'extraordinary move' to have less politics in users' feeds could be 'actively muzzling civic action'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Twitter's year of Elon Musk: what happens next?
Why Everyone's Talking About 'Your platform is dying', says one commentator, but new CEO is aiming for profitability next year
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Turns out Facebook isn't as polarizing as previously thought
Talking Point New studies show that, contrary to prior belief, the algorithm has little effect on driving polarization
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Threads: will privacy fears scupper Meta’s Twitter ‘killer’?
Under the Radar Mark Zuckerberg’s new Threads app has launched but data protection rules mean it isn’t yet available in the EU
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet Published
-
Mark Zuckerberg vs. Elon Musk: a tale of the tech tape
Under the Radar The two men challenged each other to a fight after years of sniping
By Justin Klawans Published