No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram

I read a lot of business books but in the last years I have become fond of the ones that tell stories and, at the same time, allow you to learn about management. This is one of the books that offers that rare combination. By reading this book you learn about work culture but not as in a theory book but totally applied to reality. I am really impressed by how important it is to be in the right place at the right time, and, in this case, the right place is Silicon Valley. It is funny how Frier relates many important happenings in Silicon Valley, that take place while the story told in the book is developing. I also like how both Zuckerberg and Systrom are portrayed, the first as a ruthless entrepreneur whose decisions are oriented to one only purpose: Facebook growth, in the latter case, a more vulnerable Systrom, who is constantly trying to improve himself and who keeps faithful to his beliefs, despite the fact that several times he admits he was wrong. I read it in 3 days. It would have been less time but I stopped several times to google the names of the people mentioned in the story, in order to get to know more about them. In summary, I loved the book. It is a business book with lots of stories that will keep you captivated from beginning to end.

An unusual insight between the parent and the acquired. It reveals the genuine and hard effort to keep Instagram as it was and meanwhile grow, for which both leaders of Facebook and Instagram take credits

A must read for anyone interested in social media, Facebook and META, the stock etc.

Fascinating and insightful. How many prep school students from New England go on to sell their startup with a dozen employees for $1 Billion? The genius was the buyer. The best acquisition since Microsoft bought IBM’s

software…chronicled here in a page-turner!

A well presented narrative that leads the reader through Instagram’s birth and growth but also explains the struggle to operate post the Facebook acquisition, contrasting the culture and priorities of the two organizations.

Great read! Amazing to get an inside perspective of the inner workings of Facebook and Instagram.

The biggest flaw is that when the author introduces and discusses new people in this book it is very clear which ones she likes and dislikes. She separates things into very simplistic good v evil categories and rarely frames anyone she likes in a negative light in any substantive way, and vice versa for people she dislikes. There just isn’t much nuance to this book. This is good as an engaging story that will also teach you some stuff about the history of instagram, but I don’t think it really serves as the authoritative history of instagram. I am not, for instance, going to act like Facebook and Zuckerberg are great. But I find the author’s discussions of them difficult to trust given that she interprets everything they do in the most negative light possible and often explains, basically, of being a function of the fact that they are evil, even when the facts she brings up to explain something that has happened are clearly conducive to a more pragmatic explanation; she also has the opposite bias in her discussion of Systrom, one of the founders of instagram; it is clear that she genuinely just likes Systrom, and in a reliable and serious narrative that should not be clear. And, really, as I think about it it feels most accurate to say that this book was written from Systrom’s perspective in a way that really makes you stop trusting the narrative.

The other thing, which obviously the author cannot be blamed for, is that this book was published in 2020, so it is not going to contain anything that happened in the last four years, which is a lot. 2020 is really when social media entered a new era of hyper-saturating our lives. But, again, obviously not something you can hold against the author, and it’s not like there is another, more recent, book you can look to instead.

"No Filter" by Sarah Frier stands out as one of my top business reads without a doubt. Frier's narrative style is so compelling that I found myself drawn into the story as if I were reading a captivating novel. The astounding rise of Instagram in just 8 years is nothing short of remarkable, and witnessing the evolution of social media firsthand is truly mind-blowing.

As someone who interned at Facebook during my MBA in the UK and uses Instagram, delving into the book was an eye-opening experience. The level of change and adaptability displayed by Instagram to expand its subscriber base and enhance profitability for its parent company, Facebook, is simply awe-inspiring.

The depth of research and dedication behind "No Filter" is evident throughout the book. The sheer number of interviews, coffee meetings, calls, and conversations with employees, executives, and investors that must have gone into its creation is overwhelming to contemplate. Beyond offering insights into how social media is reshaping our world, "No Filter" serves as a fascinating business exploration into a rapidly growing industry generating billions of dollars. Whether you're intrigued by social media dynamics or simply enjoy a riveting business narrative, this book is a must read.

Interesting review of the history of Instagram, which is perhaps similar to other start-ups in Silicon Valley.

I loved every minute of reading that book. As I was born in 1993 it speaks to my mind as I have loved each new app myself and to be taken behind the scenes on the business stage of what happened is so interesting. It has inspired me in so many ways to be more curious on what makes a good company, app, CEO and business relationship. Don’t hesitate and read that book now !

The book was delivered and I took pictures. It was a birthday gift to a friend but it is embarrassing to give so I won’t. Looks dirty, used and heated. So disappointed!

O conteúdo é bom, mas a qualidade da impressão não é boa. A capa já chegou rasurada, não é bem colada nem bem montada. As páginas são de um papel bem ruinzinho e, para não estragar, tem que ter bastante cuidado. Não dá nem para usar marca texto, de tão finas que são as páginas... A tinta do marca texto passa pro outro lado. A qualidade da folha da capa também não é boa. Pelo preço que custou, não apresenta bom custo benefício (se considerarmos apenas o livro físico, não o conteúdo).

A great book. The single-minded and aggressive business approach at Facebook and the idealistic style at Instagram (until founders left) is beautifully chronicled. While I was reading it, I thought about two things. (1) Instagram would have been far smaller without Facebook. It would be like Snapchat and Twitter in financial terms (or worse): bleeding money until one day something happens to threaten its existence. (2) I’m puzzled why no company in China operates with a Facebook business model, and why China’s Instagram look-alike Meitu (1357.HK) has been languishing since IPO four years ago. It looked promising with a peak valuation of US$10bn. China’s social media company such as WeChat or Weibo are very different from Facebook in terms of business model. Therefore, when Meitu Xiuxiu languishes all these years, no suitor has come along to marry a billion users with camera filter. Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram is a marriage made in heaven.

Packaging and quality: Pages, cover quality were up to the mark and it arrived in perfect condition.

Book Content: It's a great read. You totally get captivated and can clearly imagine how things must have happened in reality. It has been thoroughly researched and written in a neutral tone. It's one of those few business books which anyone can read and digest easily while learning so much about the company that has changed our culture.