Kevin Systrom#External links
{{Short description|American computer programmer and entrepreneur (born 1983)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kevin Systrom
| image = Kevin Systrom 2018 (40980041741) (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Systrom in 2018
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1983|12|30}}
| birth_place = Holliston, Massachusetts, U.S.
| other_names =
| education = Stanford University (BS)
| occupation = Businessman
| known_for = Co-founder and former CEO, Instagram
| boards = Walmart (2014–2018){{cite web|url=https://news.walmart.com/2018/04/20/walmart-releases-2018-annual-report-proxy-statement-global-responsibility-report-and-global-ethics-and-compliance-program-update|title=Walmart Releases 2018 Annual Report, Proxy Statement, Global Responsibility Report and Global Ethics and Compliance Program Update|publisher=Walmart|date=April 20, 2018|language=en-US|access-date=June 17, 2018|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627101035/https://news.walmart.com/2018/04/20/walmart-releases-2018-annual-report-proxy-statement-global-responsibility-report-and-global-ethics-and-compliance-program-update|url-status=dead}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Nicole Schuetz|2016}}
}}
Kevin Systrom (born December 30, 1983) is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur. He co-founded Instagram, the world's largest photo sharing website, along with Mike Krieger.{{Cite web|url=https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/instagram.com|title=Instagram.com Traffic, Demographics and Competitors – Alexa|website=www.alexa.com|access-date=December 9, 2018|archive-date=February 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210111602/https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/instagram.com|url-status=dead}}
Systrom was included on the list of America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/kevin-systrom/|title=Kevin Systrom|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2018}} Under Systrom as CEO, Instagram became a fast growing app, with 800 million monthly users as of September 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/kevin-systrom/|title=Kevin Systrom|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=December 13, 2018}} He resigned as the CEO of Instagram on September 24, 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/15/17979282/ledger-bucholz-instagram-quitting-ceo-facebook|title=Ledger bucholz on quitting Instagram: 'No one ever leaves a job because everything's awesome'|last=Newton|first=Casey|date=October 15, 2018|website=The Verge|access-date=December 9, 2018}}
Meta Platforms (then Facebook, Inc.) bought Instagram for $1 billion in 2012, a large sum at that time for a company that had 13 employees. Instagram today has over one billion users and contributes over $20 billion to Meta Platforms's annual revenue.
Early life and education
Systrom was born on December 30, 1983, in Holliston, Massachusetts.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/06/kevin-systrom.html |title=The CNBC Next List: Kevin Systrom | work=CNBC |date=October 6, 2014}} He is the son of Diane, a marketing executive at Zipcar, who also worked at Monster.com and Swapit during the dot-com bubble,{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/02/instagram-kevin-systrom-interview-working-on-time-travel|title=Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom: 'We're working on time travel' |last=Kiss|first=Jemima|date=October 2, 2015|work=The Guardian|access-date=May 19, 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} and Douglas Systrom, Vice President of Human Resources at TJX Companies.[http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20120412/NEWS/304129060 Holliston native strikes it rich with smartphone app Instagram – Framingham, MA]. The MetroWest Daily News (April 12, 2012). Retrieved on 2013-08-20.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/obituaries/118556824_Elizabeth_V__Pels__85.html?mobile=1|title=Elizabeth V. Pels, 85|work=NorthJersey.com|access-date=October 6, 2014|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103212855/http://www.northjersey.com/obituaries/118556824_Elizabeth_V__Pels__85.html?mobile=1|archive-date=January 3, 2014}}
Systrom attended Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, where he was introduced to computer programming. His interest grew from playing Doom 2 and creating his own levels as a child.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/31/searching-for-zuckerbergs-inside-a-start-up-summer-camp.html|title=Searching for Zuckerbergs: Inside a start-up summer camp |last=Rogers|first=Kate |date=July 31, 2015|publisher=CNBC|access-date=April 30, 2019}}
He worked at Boston Beat, a vinyl record music store in Boston, while he was in high school.{{Cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2014/10/10/how-kevin-systrom-got-started/|title=How Kevin Systrom of Instagram got his start|website=Fortune|access-date=May 19, 2017}}
Systrom attended Stanford University and graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in management science and engineering.{{cite news |url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=99160377&privcapId=99153859&previousCapId=99153859&previousTitle=Burbn,%20Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422041510/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=99160377&privcapId=99153859&previousCapId=99153859&previousTitle=Burbn,+Inc. |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 22, 2012 |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |title=Executive Profile |date=April 5, 2012}} At Stanford, he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. He turned down a recruitment offer from Mark Zuckerberg and instead spent the winter term of his third year in Florence, where he studied photography.{{Cite news|last=Dodds|first=Laurence|date=2020-04-18|title=The inside story of how Facebook went from idealism to scandal|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/inside-story-facebook-went-idealism-scandal/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/inside-story-facebook-went-idealism-scandal/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2021-02-01|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}} Systrom was chosen as one of twelve students to participate in the Mayfield Fellows Program at Stanford University.{{Cite web|url=http://ecorner.stanford.edu/videos/2735/From-Stanford-to-Startup-Entire-Talk|title=Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger: From Stanford to Startup [Entire Talk] {{!}} Stanford eCorner|website=ecorner.stanford.edu|access-date=May 19, 2017}} The fellowship led to his internship at Odeo, the company that eventually became Twitter.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}
Career
=Google=
After graduating Stanford, he joined Google working on Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, Spreadsheets and other products.{{Cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2014/10/10/how-kevin-systrom-got-started/|title=How Kevin Systrom of Instagram got his start|website=Fortune|access-date=May 19, 2017}} He spent two years at Google as a product marketer; Systrom left Google out of frustration of not being moved into the Associate Product Manager program.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m3UvBwAAQBAJ&q=how+google+works+systrom&pg=PR30|title=How Google Works: hacked|first=Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg and Alan|last=Eagle|date=September 23, 2014 |publisher=Books Content Development|access-date=September 28, 2018|via=Google Books}}
He made the prototype of what later became Burbn and pitched it to Baseline Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz at a party. He came up with the idea while on a vacation in Mexico when his girlfriend was unwilling to post her photos because they did not look good enough when taken by the iPhone 4 camera.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/11568119/Instagrams-Kevin-Systrom-Im-dangerous-enough-to-code-and-sociable-enough-to-sell-our-company.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/11568119/Instagrams-Kevin-Systrom-Im-dangerous-enough-to-code-and-sociable-enough-to-sell-our-company.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Instagram's Kevin Systrom: 'I'm dangerous enough to code and sociable enough to sell our company'|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=May 19, 2017|language=en}}{{cbignore}} The solution to the problem was to use filters, effectively hiding the qualitative inferiority of the photographs. Subsequently, Systrom developed the X-Pro II filter that is still in use on Instagram today.
After the first meeting, he decided to quit his job in order to explore whether or not Burbn could become a company. Within 2 weeks of quitting his job, he received US$500,000 seed funding round from both Baseline Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. While in San Francisco, Systrom and Mike Krieger built Burbn, an HTML 5 check-in service, into a product that allowed users to do many things: check into locations, make plans (future check-ins), earn points for hanging out with friends, post pictures, and much more. However, recalling their studies in Mayfield Fellows Program, Krieger and Systrom identified that Burbn contained too many features and the users did not want a complicated product. They decided to focus on one specific feature, photo-sharing. The development of Burbn led to creation of Instagram. A month after launching, Instagram had grown to 1 million users. A year later, Instagram hit more than 10 million users.{{cite web|url=http://instagram.com/press/|title=Instagram Press|publisher=Instagram |access-date=November 1, 2014}}
=Instagram=
In 2010, Systrom co‑founded the photo-sharing and, later, video-sharing social networking service Instagram with Mike Krieger{{cite magazine |last1=Hempell |first1=Jessi |title=Instagram's Founders Have Always Had Impeccable Timing |url=https://www.wired.com/story/instagrams-kevin-systrom-mike-krieger-exit-facebook/ |magazine=Wired |publisher=Condé Nast |access-date=1 October 2022 |ref=conde-insta}} in San Francisco, California.
In April 2012, Instagram, along with 13 employees, was sold to Facebook for US$1 billion in cash and stock.{{cite news |title=Breaking: Facebook buying Instagram for $1 billion |first=Dan |last=Primack |url=http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/04/09/breaking-facebook-buying-instagram-for-1-billion/ |work=Fortune |date=April 9, 2012 |access-date=December 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211081120/http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/04/09/breaking-facebook-buying-instagram-for-1-billion/ |archive-date=December 11, 2012 |url-status=dead }} According to multiple reports, the deal netted Systrom US$400 million based on his ownership stake in the business.{{cite magazine |last=Isaac |first=Marc |url=https://www.wired.com/epicenter/2012/04/facebook-buys-instagram/ |magazine=Wired |publisher=Condé Nast Digital |title=Facebook Buys Instagram |date=April 9, 2012 |access-date=August 13, 2012}} One of the key contributions to the acquisition was that Mark Zuckerberg stated Facebook was "committed to building and growing Instagram independently", allowing Systrom to continue to lead Instagram.{{cite web|author-link=Laurie Segall |last=Segall |first=Laurie |url=https://money.cnn.com/2012/04/09/technology/facebook_acquires_instagram/
|publisher=CNN |title=Kevin Systrom Build Instagram into a Media Company |access-date=October 24, 2014}} Systrom stated in an interview with Bloomberg that the pros of becoming a part of Facebook were that "we got to pair up with a juggernaut of a company that understands how to grow, understands how to build a business, has one of the best, if not the best, management team in tech and we got to use them as our resource".{{Cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-24/studio-1-0-kevin-systrom-opens-up-about-instagram-s-life-at-facebook |title=Studio 1.0: Kevin Systrom Opens Up About Instagram's Life at Facebook |date=October 24, 2016 |work=Bloomberg News |access-date=May 19, 2017}}
In an interview with Forbes, he stated that "Instagram is a new form of communication that's an ideal fit with the always-with-you iPhone in today's social media world. Instagram's a social network built around photos, where people can quickly comment on or 'like' photos and share them on Twitter or Facebook."{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2011/12/19/30-under-30-kevin-systrom-builds-instagram-into-a-media-company/ |title=Kevin Systrom Builds Instagram into a Media Company Press|last=Geron|first=Tomio|date=December 19, 2011|work=Forbes |access-date=October 25, 2014}} Systrom identified Instagram as a media company, which explains the roll-out of video advertisement by big companies such as The Walt Disney Company, Activision, Lancôme, Banana Republic and CW in late 2014.{{cite web |url=http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/instagrams-video-ads-are-live-big-brands-board-161081 |work=Adweek |title=Instagram's Video Ads Are Finally Live, and Here Are 4 From Major Brands |date=October 30, 2014 |access-date=October 30, 2014}}
On September 24, 2018, it was announced that Systrom resigned from Instagram and would be leaving in few weeks.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/24/technology/instagram-cofounders-resign.html|title=Instagram's Co-Founders to Step Down From Company|last=Isaac|first=Mike|date=September 24, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 24, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/25/instagram-co-founders-resign-to-explore-creativity-again|title=Instagram co-founders resign to explore 'creativity again'|last=Lyons|first=Kate|date=September 25, 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=September 25, 2018}}
=Artifact=
On January 31, 2023, Krieger and Systrom launched Artifact, an AI-powered news app, on the App Store and Google Play.{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=2023-02-22 |title=Artifact, the AI-powered news app from Instagram's co-founders, is now open to all |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/22/23610612/artifact-news-app-instagram-co-founders-open |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Instagram Co-Founders Introduce Artifact, an AI-Powered News App |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/social-media/instagram-co-founders-introduce-ai-powered-news-app-artifact/ |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=CNET |language=en}} After announcing the app would be shut down in January 2024, Artifact was eventually acquired by Yahoo to integrate into their news products{{Cite web |title=Yahoo is buying Artifact, the AI news app from the Instagram co-founders |url=https://www.yahooinc.com/press/yahoo-announces-the-acquisition-of-artifact-the-news-discovery-platform-created-by-instagram-cofounders-kevin-systrom-and-mike-krieger |date=2024-04-02 |access-date=2025-05-03}}>
Views on copying ideas in the industry
Instagram has been accused on multiple occasions for copying various new functions from its closest competitor Snapchat.{{Cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2017/05/16/instagram-face-filters-snapchat/|title=Instagram Copies Snapchat Once Again With Face Filters|website=Fortune|access-date=May 19, 2017}} Regarding the issue, Systrom argued that all new services launched by tech companies nowadays are "remixes" of existing products, and that "all of these ideas are original when you remix them and bring your own flavour".{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/instagram-kevin-systrom-future-of-instagram|title=Where Instagram goes next: Kevin Systrom on copying rivals, VR and cutting off dead weight|last=Burgess|first=Matt|magazine=Wired|access-date=May 19, 2017|language=en-GB}} Systrom also argued that 'you can trace the roots of every feature anyone has in their app, somewhere in the history of technology' and that this was simply 'just the way Silicon Valley works.'{{Cite news|url=https://www.recode.net/2017/6/5/15738276/instagram-snapchat-stories-copying-kevin-systrom-filters-facebook-snap-kara-swisher-decode-podcast|title=Did Instagram copy Snapchat? Not exactly, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom says.|work=Recode|access-date=September 19, 2017}}
Forbes list
In 2014, Systrom was listed in the Forbes 30 "Under 30" list under the "Social/Mobile category."{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2014/01/06/30-under-30-who-are-changing-the-world-2014/ |title=30 Under 30 Who are Changing the World |work=Forbes |access-date=October 25, 2014}}
In 2016, the magazine ranked Systrom as a billionaire with an estimated net worth of US$1.1 billion.{{Cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/katevinton/2016/08/01/instagram-ceo-kevin-systrom-joins-billionaire-ranks-as-facebook-stock-soars/#5145e50f209c |title=Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom Joins Billionaire Ranks As Facebook Stock Soars |last=Vinton |first=Kate
|work=Forbes |access-date=May 19, 2017}} The fortune came about as a result of Facebook stocks rising more than 500%.
Personal life
In February 2016, Systrom met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, where they discussed the power of images in uniting people "across borders, cultures and generations".{{Cite magazine |url=https://time.com/4238471/pope-francis-instagram/ |title=Instagram's CEO Meets Pope Francis to Discuss Power of Images |magazine=Time |access-date=May 19, 2017}}
On October 31, 2016, Systrom married Nicole Systrom (née Schuetz), founder and CEO of clean-energy investment firm Sutro Energy Group, in Napa, California. The two met at Stanford and were engaged in 2014.{{Cite web|title=Instagram Cofounder and CEO Kevin Systrom and Nicole Schuetz's Masquerade Ball Wedding in Napa|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/instagram-kevin-systrom-wedding-nicole-schuetz-napa-valley|access-date=2020-08-19|website=Vogue|date=January 21, 2016 |language=en-us}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{instagram|kevin}}
- {{twitter|kevin}}
- {{LinkedIn URL|https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinsystrom}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:Businesspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area
Category:American technology chief executives
Category:American technology company founders
Category:American computer programmers
Category:American billionaires
Category:Stanford University alumni