Instagram names new chief after founders depart

Instagram announced on Monday it has named Adam Mosseri, its previous current vice president of product, to be its new head.

{mosads}Mosseri replaces Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger who founded the app and led it even after Facebook acquired it in 2012 for $1 billion. The two announced that they would leave the company last week.

Several outlets report that their departure was the result of a falling out and disagreements with CEO Mark Zuckerberg over how to run the app and manage its relationship with Facebook.

Prior to working at Instagram, Mosseri had been head of News Feed at Facebook. His new role is effective immediately.

“We are thrilled to hand over the reins to a product leader with a strong design background and a focus on craft and simplicity — as well as a deep understanding of the importance of community,” Systrom and Krieger said in a statement.

{mosads}Mosseri joined Facebook in 2008, four years prior to the Instagram acquisition. He has worked as a product designer, later leading News Feed, and also worked as a design director for Facebook’s mobile apps.

“I’m humbled and excited about the opportunity to now lead the Instagram team,” Mosseri said in a statement.

Instagram has been a bright spot for Facebook during a difficult year. The company has dealt with controversies over revelations about Russian efforts to manipulate the U.S election, the misuse of millions of Facebook users’ data and most recently its discovery that it suffered a security breach in September affecting 50 million users.

Despite this, Instagram has continued to grow in users, which has been n increasingly difficult for Facebook.