Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    A High-Tech Gamble on the Next Big Thing

    Instagram is a simple way to create your own art online with your smartphone photographs. It lets smartphone photographers enhance their pictures with 17 different filters and post their creations on the Internet. In 18 months it's attracted 33 million users.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    Instagram is a simple way to create your own art online with your smartphone photographs. It lets smartphone photographers enhance their pictures with 17 different filters and post their creations on the Internet. In 18 months it's attracted 33 million users. But with 13 employees, no advertisements and no sales of personal information, it hasn't made any money. For many users, it's come to be the anti-Facebook. Now Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is buying Instagram for $1 billion. Will Instagram ever be the same? Is it further evidence that Facebook is losing its "cool?" Will Zuckerberg still be able to raise $100 billion with Facebook's Initial Public Offering?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Facebook Buys Instagram
    1. 0:00What's Next for North Korea after Its Failed Rocket Launch?
    2. 7:09A High-Tech Gamble on the Next Big ThingYou’re reading this
    3. 42:49The 100th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • KCRW placeholder

      Aminatou Sow

      co-host of the podcast “Call Your Girlfriend” and co-author of the new book “Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close”

    • KCRW placeholder

      Dan Zak

      Washington Post

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michael Pachter

      Wedbush Securities

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Facebook Buys Instagram
    1. 0:00What's Next for North Korea after Its Failed Rocket Launch?
    2. 7:09A High-Tech Gamble on the Next Big ThingYou’re reading this
    3. 42:49The 100th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic
    Back to To the Point