As Instagram leaves Britain and heads home, what will replace it?

Companies usually head for home when they’re retrenching but London’s enviable tech cohort looks to New York once its members reach a certain size. That needs to change, says James Moore

Heading back across the Atlantic: Instagram’s London operation is on the move (AFP via Getty)

Cheerio then, Instagram. Will someone take a pic of the empty offices when they’ve been cleared out?

Less than eight months after the social media platform’s boss Adam Mosseri landed on these shores, he’s heading back across the Atlantic. And he’s taking his staff with him. (Those that survive the cull, that is.)

Parent firm Meta is in the throes of a retrenchment, cutting 20,000 jobs and closing offices around the world. Shares have actually found some momentum of late, with its biggest rival, the Chinese-owned TikTok, grappling with increasing political and regulatory heat. Twitter is grappling with Elon Musk. So, with an improving outlook for ads, things are looking up for Mark Zuckerberg’s baby.