Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger announced that they plan to leave the company in hopes to get their creative juices flowing again.
“We’re planning on taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again,” Kevin mentioned in a statement on the company’s website. “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.”
According to the New York Times, the departure of the co-founders could affect Instagram’s future since the parent company Facebook who bought them in 2012 is going through a “rocky time”.
The photo-sharing application was launched in 2010 out of a small office in the South Park neighborhood of San Francisco. Facebook acquired the startup for $1 billion two years after its launch.
Mark Zuckerberg CEO of Facebook commented on the news of the co-founders leaving in a tweet saying: “I’ve learned a lot working with them for the past six years and have really enjoyed it. I wish them all the best and I’m looking forward to seeing what they build next.”