Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Instagram Expected to Become 'More Tightly Integrated' With Facebook After Photo App's Founders Leave Company

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
69,419
40,481



Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have left Facebook, explaining in a statement this week that they are taking some time off to "explore our curiosity and creativity again." According to people familiar with the matter speaking to Bloomberg, Systrom and Krieger are leaving due to growing tensions with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

instagram-co-founders.jpg
Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom at Instagram​


In recent months, Zuckerberg is said to have become more involved in the day-to-day work going on at Instagram, and "more reliant on Instagram in planning for Facebook's future." Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012, and up until now Systrom and Krieger had been able to keep the photo-sharing app's brand independent from Facebook while using the larger social network's resources to expand.

With this year's Cambridge Analytica scandal, it's believed that Zuckerberg and Facebook are now leaning into Instagram's success as Facebook faces ongoing struggles. Facebook has even started talking about Instagram more often in its earning calls, with Zuckerberg recently stating that Instagram grew twice as fast being in the Facebook family as it could have on its own. Internally, Instagram employees said this was "unnecessary and unprovable."

Adam Mosseri, who came from Facebook's news feed team to be head of product for Instagram in early 2018, is the most likely successor for Systrom and Krieger. Through all of this, Facebook is predicted to "more tightly integrate" Instagram into the larger company, making Instagram less independent than it is now.
Without the founders around, Instagram is likely to become more tightly integrated with Facebook, making it more of a product division within the larger company than an independent operation, the people said.

For years, Systrom and Krieger were able to amicably resist certain Facebook product initiatives that they felt went against their vision, while leaning on Facebook for resources, infrastructure and engineering talent. A new leader may not be able to keep the same balance, or may be more willing to make changes that help the overall company at the expense of some of Instagram's unique qualities.
Click to expand...
As it stands now, Instagram has largely been able to avoid negative association with the Facebook brand after the data privacy scandal earlier this year. A few other apps under the Facebook umbrella have also faced departing executives in the wake of the scandal, with WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum leaving Facebook in April, reportedly clashing with Facebook executives over the messaging app's strategy and Facebook's attempts to use WhatsApp personal data in ways to monetize the service.

Article Link: Instagram Expected to Become 'More Tightly Integrated' With Facebook After Photo App's Founders Leave Company
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/25/instagram-founders-leave-facebook/
It's not like FB hadn't already ruined Instagram, and weren't already mining it like they do everything on the 'big' platform.

What was that Russian-linked photosharing app called again? Might be time to look into that one before Zuck sinks the ship. :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marekul and MagMan1979
You're silly if you don't think that Facebook has been hugely involved in Instagram since their purchase of it. There's a reason their releases and new features sped up incredibly. It's not at all run as a separate product or company as some here seem to be acting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ericwn and MagMan1979
Wow, this is a big warning. Too bad everyone I know are flocking instagram thinking it's better than Facebook (without realizing it's being owned by the same people now).

Facebook is ruining everything. First, the deal with Google so whatsapp backups to Google Drive are not encrypted. And now this. This is why we cannot have nice things. :(
 
  • Like
Reactions: X5-452, chrixxa, B60boy and 2 others
  • Like
Reactions: chrixxa and H3LL5P4WN
C DM said:
Facebook has already been involved for about six years now...
Click to expand...
Sure, but instagram seems to stay as it was as the founders are (were) still there. But now, it's up in the air. I can see Facebook quickly make instagram into another hate-infested-social-media. Facebook has been useless for me as the amount of fake accounts spreading hate and extremism are ridiculous, and Facebook turned a blind eye when those accounts are reported. Facebook like the engagement, apparently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chrixxa and jamesrick80
pika2000 said:
Sure, but instagram seems to stay as it was as the founders are (were) still there. But now, it's up in the air. I can see Facebook quickly make instagram into another hate-infested-social-media. Facebook has been useless for me as the amount of fake accounts spreading hate and extremism are ridiculous, and Facebook turned a blind eye when those accounts are reported. Facebook like the engagement, apparently.
Click to expand...
It has definitely changed in various ways over the last six years. And plenty of Facebook involvement can and likely has been there in the background as far as tracking and the like goes, which is what was mentioned in various posts.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Darmok N Jalad and H3LL5P4WN
I deleted Facebook earlier this year and it feels great to be rid of it.

However, I hung onto Instagram and culled my friends down to my 40 closest as I enjoy seeing their pics. Now, I just get bombarded with adverts. I always report them as spam or offensive!

I'm just wishing that an advert free paid service for something similar can take off and become popular, something that isn't run by that bug-eyed maniac.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ikir, Oblivious.Robot and redbeard331
Instagram is what young folks, in particular are using (and not Facebook), so the Zuck is thinking this is how we get the young people (future growth cause that's all that matters) into the user data monetization path.

Would be interesting to know what actually pushed the founders out the door.
 
Instagram has been getting really bad with the wannabe fake models living perfect lives and people obsessing about followers. It’s not a positive type of place for people honestly it’s so fake. Makes kids nowadays expect to have perfect lives. Look a certain way. Strive for something that’s not real.
Bring back MySpace’s I liked having my own custom wallpaper and music playlist and top 10 friends.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bejeta, drumcat, jamesrick80 and 5 others
fumi2014 said:
It was heading that way already. Sponsored ads in the timeline etc. From here on in, it will be a complete train wreck as FB monetises it into oblivion.
Click to expand...
Yep. And some of the stuff it thinks I want to see...I have no idea where it’s coming from as it’s not anything I’ve ever searched for anywhere and certainly not anything I followed on FB when I was using that app. Hate it.
 
That's what happens when you sell out Jack Dorsey and join the dark side....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back