Instagram’s Kevin Systrom: No one ever leaves a job because everything’s awesome

Ever since the co-founders of the photo-sharing app Instagram, **Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger resigned** from **Facebook** , neither of them have said much in public, until now. On the 15 October Wired 25 conference while in conversation with the publication’s senior writer Lauren Goode, he said that “No one ever leaves a job because everything’s awesome, right? Work’s hard.” [caption id=“attachment_5387831” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Kevin Systrom. Image: Reuters[/caption] The duo’s unexpected exit was not just a regular departure. Even though neither of them expressed any disdain towards Facebook, it was a common thought that the departure hinted towards Facebook’s interference into products related to Instagram. They left at a time when **Instagram** popularity was growing, while Facebook’s, declining. His aforementioned comment, we think, is a good indicator of the parent company’s internal pressures. At the time of leaving, he had said in a blog post: “We’re planning on leaving Instagram to explore our curiosity and creativity again. 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.” Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion, two years after it was founded by Systrom and Kreiger. At the 15 October conference, Systrom noted that both of them had stayed for six years after the acquisition, which is much longer than most founders stay. He is also confident that the company is going to flourish, and that it if triples in size, it “would be an awesome outcome” for him, even if he’s not running it. He also said that the duo will soon work together again.