A Letter to Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger

Hey Kevin and Mike — I’ve been thinking about this idea for years. I decided to finally just write you because you left Instagram today. Maybe you have the time to ponder it. There are probably no two better people in the world to decide if this is a stupid idea or not. So here it goes.

As Chris Dixon said, “Come for the tool. Stay for the network.” And while Instagram is a beautiful tool, the network is ultimately far more valuable than the cost to build the product (it probably costs more than this, but even 10x…). Currently, all of the monetary value capture ($7.5 billion in 2018 revenue

Build a new Instagram, and pledge 50% of the equity and 50% of the profits to local communities. Create an algorithm to track responsible usage and contribution by community. Get as granular as possible. Allocate returns to those communities who are giving back to the network. 50% of proceeds created from on-going profits and any sale / IPO of the business go into communities through local non-profits, infrastructure grants and direct funding into specific causes. Turn the app into a voting mechanism so users can help direct these funds. 105 million domestic Instagram users spend an hour a day on Instagram. Help make the 3.3 years of their lives they spend on your product more meaningful. Don’t stop there — your product now reaches 1 billion people worldwide. This can be a tool to link people to real causes outside of national boundaries.

Worried that you’ll piss off Zuck? Then let Facebook be the ultimate acquirer again. Give them a chance to redeem their reputation as a healthy tool for change rather than a threat to democracy. How do you gain momentum with all the inertia behind Instagram and Snapchat? Build partnerships with the top 1,000 “influencers” that best represent the tapestry of humans today. Incentivize them to be early adopters. The platform gives them an opportunity to truly champion their causes. Pilot the community partnership model early. Community leaders will spread the product for you. We know people value the product; we just need to get it in their hands. Though the concept of social networks has evolved significantly over our lives, the local community is where it all started. Bring this full circle and show people how powerful it can be (in a good way).

Anyway, that’s the idea. Perhaps it is a crazy one. Good luck in whatever you do next!

Sincerely,

Randy

PS — I think that you guys intentionally built a network from day one. If that is right, then you’ve always known just how valuable the network is that you were building. “Come for the tool and the network. Stay because we are working to make things better.”