vista tecnologica
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A blog commenting on news in technology and documenting my ambition to work in the field.
Displaying results for "instagram"
Text Only Instagram
Hilarious descriptions of archetypal instagram photos. Sure, it’s mocked the fuck out of types of photos I’ve taken, too. But I mean, what doesn’t get skewered on the internet these days. Plus, these are hilarious.
A Few Words on the Acquisition of Instagram by Facebook
I woke up to this post this morning by Jenna Wortham saying Facebook had acquired Instagram for $1 Billion.
My initial response was that my jaw-dropped: 1 Billion? It was only a month ago that estimated valuations were half that, and not long before that Instagram was still running on $7.5 Million funding. So in a matter of a few months, Instagram has gone from a team of 10 people working in Twitter’s old conference room to being acquired for a billions dollars. Jesus.
Don’t get me wrong: I think Facebook is an extremely capable company. I admire Mark Zuckerberg’s ability to run it so well. But I just can’t help but think that in the long run, this is going to ruin the Instagram experience. As a photographer and appreciator of aesthetics, I loved that Instagram was the one social network where people told stories of their lives 100% visually. When I went to NYC, I documented my favorite moments (and views) on Instagram. When I went home for spring break, Instagram’s photo filters helped me illustrate how wonderful it was to be home. There was something quaint, beautiful and intimate about the service. It enabled people to tell share their life moments artistically.
I think part of the reason why I’m disappointed that they sold so early is because I knew how small the Instagram team was. This knowledge perpetuated the intimacy of the service and served as a model for a startup in my favorite stage - successful and growing, but with the team minimal and tightly-knit. They were growing fast (in users) but taking their time growing their team. It was a great startup success story. I suppose you could argue that their acquisition is a culmination of just how successful they are. But I’m going to miss the old idea of Instagram as a small team of workers devoted to minimalism and simplicity. I hope they can remain a bastion of this simplicity in their new 3,000+ person company.
A Usethis Interview with Mike Krieger, Co-founder of Instagram
My new favorite (primarily) tech interview site to peruse is The Setup. It’s a simple, repeated interview format that includes the categories:
Who are you and what do you do? - starts by getting context of the person being interviewed, just in case the audience isn’t totally familiar.
What hardware are you using? - the site’s focus is primarily on finding out what tech a person (who is likely an authority in their field) uses. The use of “hardware” implies that this is relegated to computer-ware (especially given the next question regarding software), and yet many of the interviewees include random things they love, whether it be coffee makers or the headphones they listen music with at work.
And what software? - an elaboration on the last question. This one is pretty much limited to techie-stuff or design software.
What would be your dream setup? - again this is generally related to one’s computer setup but deviations are common.
So the first interview I read on this site was of Mike Krieger, Co-founder of Instagram. I was delighted to see him on here because I’ve found that Instagram, despite its beautiful design and widespread adoption (WAY more friends that I thought would have it, now are really into it), is somewhat mysterious. As far as I know, Mike and Co-founder Kevin Systrom are its only full time employees. From their Wikipedia page it seems they have hired a community manager/evangelist, but I don’t know how involved they are.
But that’s the point.
Instagram, though known well by many, is so quietly successful it makes me smile. This one-on-one with Mike is exciting for that reason. The founders seem to err on the side of subtlety and poise, a-la-Jack Dorsey, rather than the often energetic and exuberant nature of many tech startup founders. The interview pulls some of the mystery out of these individuals. Within the quasi-flexibility of The Setup’s questions, you see that Krieger elaborates on his personal “hardware”, like which bike he uses in addition to which computer he uses on the go. As someone who is intrigued by every minutia of a successful founder (and a photographer, myself), it was very cool to read about someone who affects many people’s photography habits.
Link to the interview is highlighted above.
