(FILES) In this file photo taken on December 12, 2013 Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom addresses a press conference in New York. - Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have announced on September 25, 2018 they are leaving the photo-sharing app bought by Facebook six years ago, setting a new test for the parent company as it works to quell mounting turmoil. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)
While he took time off for paternity leave this month, Instagram’s Kevin Systrom had time to reflect on all the small ways Facebook had started to impose its will on the photo-sharing app he co-founded.
Earlier this year, his parent company asked for prompts within Instagram that would drive traffic and add content to its main social network. Meanwhile, Facebook removed some of the links to download Instagram from the Facebook app, people familiar with the matter said. Facebook also wanted more influence over Instagram’s functions such as ad sales, reducing the potential for growth in the app’s own staff in the coming year. Then, in July, CEO Mark Zuckerberg seemed to take credit for Instagram’s success on the company’s earnings call.
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