One Boy Genius Too Many

Mark Zuckerberg promised Kevin Systrom that Instagram would remain independent from Facebook. That changed as Instagram started to outshine the mother ship A book excerpt by Sarah Frier

- Sarah Frier

Over the past decade, Instagram has become an engine of commerce and cultural influence with few peers—aside from its parent company, Facebook Inc. Reporter Sarah Frier’s inside look at Instagram, based on interviews with hundreds of the companies’ leaders, current and former employees, competitors, and stars, traces the union of Facebook and Instagram and the disintegration of the relationship between their chief executive officers. Facebook said in a statement that it has committed significant resources to fuel Instagram’s development and that “Instagram’s success is Facebook’s success.”

THE INSTAGRAM EVENT didn’t feel very Facebook. On a San Francisco street dotted with homeless encampments, press and the quasi celebrities known as influencers entered a former music venue through an archway made of balloons. Attendees received raspberry-cream-filled cruffins—croissants shaped like muffins—along with espresso drinks and multiple kinds of green juice. Enclaves in the space were designed specifically for selfie- taking influencers flown in to hype the coming product announcement to their digital followers.

But the event proved to be a letdown, beset by technical difficulties. Someone misplaced the file for CEO Kevin Systrom’s presentation, so it had to be remade in a scramble while guests waited. During the delay, the corporate blog post announcing Instagram TV, a new standalone video app, went up as scheduled, ruining the surprise before Systrom arrived onstage. An hour after the event ended, his iPhone flashed. It was Chris Cox, the executive whom Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had recently put in charge of all his com pany’s apps.