Instagram was launched in October 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, two young entrepreneurs with a passion for photography and a vision for a new kind of social media platform. The app, which was initially only available on iOS, quickly gained popularity for its unique approach to photo sharing and editing.
The idea for Instagram came about when Systrom, a former marketing intern at Odeo (the company that later became Twitter), became frustrated with the limitations of existing mobile photo sharing apps. He believed that there was a gap in the market for an app that would allow users to easily take, edit, and share photos from their smartphones.
In 2010, Systrom and Krieger, a former software engineer at Meebo, began working on a new app that would allow users to apply retro-inspired filters to their photos, giving them a vintage, artistic look. The app, which they called Burbn, also included features such as location tagging and the ability to follow other users.
After a few months of development, Systrom and Krieger realized that the app had become too complex and that the feature set needed to be simplified. They decided to focus on the photo-sharing aspect of the app and removed many of the other features. The app was rebranded as Instagram, and the two launched it in the Apple App Store in October 2010.
The app quickly gained popularity, with users appreciating the ability to easily take and edit photos, as well as the ability to follow and be followed by other users. The app's unique filters, which included options such as "Hudson" and "X-Pro II," became a popular way for users to add a creative touch to their photos.
Within a year, Instagram had gained over one million users, and by 2012, it had grown to over 30 million users. This rapid growth caught the attention of Facebook, who in 2012 acquired Instagram for $1 billion.
Under Facebook's ownership, Instagram continued to grow and evolve, adding new features such as video sharing, live streaming, and the ability to share multiple photos in a single post. Today, Instagram has over one billion monthly active users and is considered one of the most popular and influential social media platforms in the world.
The success story of Instagram is a testament to the power of a simple idea, executed well. Systrom and Krieger's passion for photography and desire to create a better photo-sharing experience led to the creation of a platform that has changed the way we share and see the world.