Instagram is acquired by Facebook

Can someone please tell me how Instagram's actual content is worth anything? We're talking about photo-filtered cell phone camera shots here. Facebook doesn't need a user acquisition ploy.<p>I guess maybe it's a move to keep users in Facebook, but I'd be willing to bet a million bucks that almost everyone is discovering Instagram content via Facebook or Twitter.<p>Seems like mostly a huge waste of cash.

<i>Sound of a good app flushing down the toilet</i><p>Uninstalled. Congrats to founders though, well executed, guys.

The front page of HN is a brilliant example of why you should use the active voice when the passive is unnecessary. 403 points (active) vs. 150 points (passive).<p>Great A&#38;B testing, guys.

For those of you that are looking for alternatives now:<p><a href="http://lifehacker.com/5899690/dont-bother-with-instagram-here-are-five-better-alternatives-for-android" rel="nofollow">http://lifehacker.com/5899690/dont-bother-with-instagram-her...</a>

I know they're saying they won't do another acquisition like this, but why not Pinterest too? It would make more sense to me than Instagram.<p><a href="http://www.privco.com/research/top-5-reasons-facebook-should-acquire-pinterest-and-quickly" rel="nofollow">http://www.privco.com/research/top-5-reasons-facebook-should...</a>

After only one week using Instagram for Android it was already my favorite network. Congrats for the Instagram team, but I cant deny that I just lost much of my sympathy for the network, since I can´t stand the way that Facebook handles privacy anymore.

Well done to the guys at Instagram, they've accomplished a lot in 2 years I think.

This Wired article[1] states that the first co-founder owned 40% of the company and the second co-founder owned 10% of the company at the time of acquisition.<p>This might suggest they started out with an 80/20 split.<p>Why? How did that split come about?<p>[1] <a href="http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2012/04/facebook-buys-instagram/" rel="nofollow">http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2012/04/facebook-buys-instagr...</a>

If photo filters are worth this much, I'm in the wrong business.

Oh crap.... Facebook got their dirty hands on this one. :(

I wonder if Instagram has any patents that can be used in Facebook's patent war with Yahoo.<p>As a mobile social network, Instagram has no equal in the photo category.<p>It would be foolish to think that after a year and half a tech company with vc backing would not have at least 5 solid patents that could be used for defensive purposes.<p>Even if Instagram has patents that would in some way affect any yahoo holdings (specifically flickr), I don't see a $1 Billion value.

I think it is ridiculous. No need for user base, no need for technology. Even no serious business model. Anything I missed?

Does anyone know if Instagram will require facebook credentials to log in now? One major reason I have enjoyed Instagram is that it's a separate network away from facebook etc.

The big question is for how much?

Congrats guys. This is really exciting stuff!

And now google will notice that it needs decent photo integration on plus and do more innovation there than instagram ever dreamed.<p>or it will stagnate everything in the market like youtube did to video (and is slowly trying to repair recently).

Just get deja mi instead, way better app anyways!

F*ck Facebook... evil corporation of evil. Harbinger of a world without privacy, it dooms us all.