Facebook to Acquire Instagram for 1 Billion....

[Brandon Sheley]

I've never used instagram and don't plan to.
I have apps that will apply ugly filters to photo's if I wanted, already.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Facebook acquired instagram because they were a medium term threat to be an alternative to facebook.
They might try to monetize it, but that isn't why they bought it.

 

[James]

Instagram have made a quick U-turn with their terms and announced they aren't selling your photos now.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/social-media/9754817/Instagram-we-wont-sell-your-photos.html

 

[Onimua]

Facebook acquired instagram because they were a medium term threat to be an alternative to facebook.
They might try to monetize it, but that isn't why they bought it.

I'm pretty sure it was more to make Facebook look better in the eyes of stock holders, since the acquisition was right before Facebook stock went public. I don't see how Instagram was in any way a threat to Facebook.

 

[SneakyDave]

They just didn't want Twitter to buy it.

http://www.aim.org/newswire/instagram-nearly-sold-to-twitter-not-facebook/

 

[Carlos]

Facebook acquired instagram because they were a medium term threat to be an alternative to facebook. Twitter.

Fixed.

A lot of companies are looking for the next facebook, or the next twitter right now. Facebook has the best of two worlds. Microsoft, for example wanted to buy Twitter. Mark Zuckerberg recently, at an investor-backed Venture Capital firm (Ycombiner) conference in Stanford University (here in Palo Alto), said that if he didn't found FB, he'd be working at Microsoft. So, I think Instagram was meant to be FB's "cake" to sell.

 

[Digital Doctor]

I'm pretty sure it was more to make Facebook look better in the eyes of stock holders, since the acquisition was right before Facebook stock went public.

If anything, I think potential average joe investors (like me) were irked that Facebook threw away a billion dollars. The media coverage at the time portrayed Zuckerberg's Instagram purchase as foolish, somewhat souring investors to his future ability to steer Facebook past the IPO stage.

I don't see how Instagram was in any way a threat to Facebook.

# Users = Amount of Power.
Once you have the users, you can always add Facebook-like features - and now you are a Facebook competitor. Facebook makes a few wrong moves (ie. Security breaches) and people move over to Instagram full time.

SneakyDave: good example (Twitter)

http://www.businessinsider.com/instagram-was-facebooks-biggest-threat-2012-4?op=1

 

[Carlos]

Once you have the users, you can always add Facebook-like features - and now you are a Facebook competitor. Facebook makes a few wrong moves (ie. Security breaches) and people move over to Instagram full time.

So, in other words: "Hey guys, come back to facebook!"

 

[erich37]

He also said, Facebook does care about our privacy, you get the idea (hopefully).

Instragram Loses 25% Of All Users In Aftermath Of Rule Change Fiasco


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-12-28/instragram-loses-25-all-users-aftermath-rule-change-fiasco