Instagram founders leave Facebook

The founders of Instagram are leaving Facebook, the social network has confirmed. According to sources from tech site Techcrunch, this happened because the founders believe that Instagram’s independence is at stake.

Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have announced their departures themselves. They only mention that they wanted to do something new, but kept quiet about the reason for leaving. According to Techcrunch, that happened after internal struggles last year, with Facebook wanting more and more control over Instagram.

At the takeover six years ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised the founders of Instagram that they could continue to function independently within the company. According to the founders, that independence is increasingly under threat. Facebook wanted more of Instagram to come back to Facebook.

Adam Mosseri would take on the day-to-day management of Instagram. He was already CEO of the image-oriented social platform. Mosseri is considered Zuckerberg’s confidant and comes from Facebook. Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in 2012. The service has one billion active users.