Adam Mosseri Takes Charge as Instagram’s New Leader
Instagram has appointed Adam Mosseri as its new head, effective immediately. This announcement followed the departure of Instagram’s co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, who recently made the decision to leave the company they built.
In their statement regarding Mosseri’s promotion, Systrom and Krieger expressed their excitement, noting that Mosseri’s strong design background and focus on simplicity and community would make him an ideal leader for Instagram. They emphasized the importance of his expertise in product development and community engagement.
Adam Mosseri, who joined Facebook in 2008, has had a diverse career within the company. He has served in several key positions, including as the head of the News Feed and the design director for Facebook’s mobile applications. Most recently, he held the role of Instagram’s Vice President of Product. In his new capacity, Mosseri is expected to oversee all areas of the Instagram business and will be responsible for assembling a new executive team, including hiring heads for engineering, product management, and operations.
Prior to their exit, Systrom was serving as CEO while Krieger held the position of Chief Technology Officer. The duo initially co-founded Instagram in a shared workspace in 2010, quickly gaining popularity and attracting a vast user base. They sold Instagram to Facebook in 2012 for a staggering $1 billion, a move that ultimately influenced the trajectory of both companies.
With Facebook’s backing, Instagram has seen significant growth, introducing various new features such as video sharing, disappearing content, and IGTV, a platform for long-form videos. Currently, Instagram boasts over 1 billion active users each month.
While it is common for founders to step away after a company’s acquisition, the fact that Systrom and Krieger remained with Instagram for six years post-acquisition is noteworthy. Their extended tenure provided stability during a time of rapid growth for the platform.
As for what’s next for the co-founders, Systrom indicated they plan to take time off to explore their creativity and find new inspirations. He mentioned that building new ideas requires stepping back to reflect on what drives them and aligning that with the needs of the world.
Their departure marks a significant shift for Instagram, especially coming on the heels of industry changes that have seen other tech founders, like Jan Koum of WhatsApp, exit their roles. Koum left his position as CEO of WhatsApp just six months before Systrom and Krieger’s exits; WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook for $19 billion in 2014.
Moreover, Brian Acton, Koum’s co-founder at WhatsApp, left Facebook in 2017 and has vocally criticized the platform, especially concerning privacy issues related to user data, such as those exposed during the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This context surrounds the recent leadership changes at Instagram and signals an evolving landscape in the tech industry.
The new leadership under Adam Mosseri is poised to guide Instagram into its next chapter, focusing on community engagement and innovative features to meet the growing needs of its extensive user base. As Mosseri steps into this role, all eyes will be on how he shapes the future of Instagram and navigates the complex challenges facing social media platforms today.
