Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Instagram Is Still Really Big, Now Has 400 Million Users

Steady as she goes.

ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com

Instagram just keeps on growing. The photo-sharing network announced Tuesday that it has reached 400 million users, up from 300 million just nine months ago. It also took the company nine months to jump from 200 million to 300 million users, so it’s growth has been pretty consistent over the past two years. Roughly 75 percent of those users are outside the United States.

Some analysts believe that Instagram could be a $5 billion business someday, and this audience is a huge reason why. Instagram ads are getting more targeted and more plentiful, and Instagram’s continued growth means there are (and will continue to be) more people to see those ads. Facebook doesn’t break out Instagram revenue numbers, but analyst firm MoffettNathanson predicted just last week that Instagram will bring in $600 million in revenue over the next year.

It’s also a reminder — in case you forgot — that Facebook has one of the most impressive consumer app collections on the planet right now, with Messenger (700 million users), WhatsApp (900 million) and now Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel