The founders of Instagram Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are leaving Facebook, after an increase in tension with CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the direction of the photo-sharing app. According to a Bloomberg report, the founders have been with the company ever since it was acquired by Facebook in 2012. However, lately, they have been extremely frustrated with the growing involvement by Zuckerberg, who has been relying on Instagram for Facebook's future growth. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Says His Own Data Breached by Cambridge Analytica.

Zuckerberg in a statement said, "Kevin and Mike are extraordinary product leaders and Instagram reflects their combined creative talents. “I’ve learned a lot working with them for the past six years and have really enjoyed it. " Instagram to Allow Users to Download Photos, Videos and Messages that they have Shared.

Krieger and Systrom built Instagram and sold it to Facebook for $715 million around six years back. Instagram, which now has more than one billion users, is a key driver of revenue for Facebook. The company has been in the news this year for the data-breach scandals. According to company insiders, Zuckerberg in a recent call explained that Instagram grew twice as fast being part of Facebook as it could have on its own. Many felt that it was quite an unnecessary statement and could have been avoided.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 25, 2018 11:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).