Instagram’s ambitious chief executive has big plans for the photo-sharing app. CEO Kevin Systrom has helped Instagram grow from a small startup to one of the most popular mobile apps in the world. Since being acquired by Facebook for $1 billion in 2012, Instagram’s user base has more than tripled to over 130 million users. Despite increased competition from services like Vine, Instagram has held its own. Systrom noted that if the service keeps growing at its current rate, not only will it be bigger than Facebook, but it “will be the biggest thing in the world.” The big question, however, is if Instagram can maintain its current growth. The executive acknowledged that growing to such a tremendous level may not easy, especially since Facebook still has more than eight times the number of users.
“Now, will we continue to grow at this rate [and outgrow Facebook]? Different question,” he said in an interview with Fast Company.
Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger was asked the same question and noted that it was a possibility because both companies are “limitless” in size.
“I don’t know — that’s a good question,” Krieger said. “I think both of them are basically limitless in size, so maybe one day they’ll be the same size?”
