The two co-founders of photo-sharing giant Instagram are departing from the company. 

In a surprising announcement, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger said they were both leaving to "explore our curiosity and creativity again".

Krieger and Systrom founded Instagram in 2010, and had a successful couple of years before selling to Facebook for a cool $1bn in 2012. Systrom remained the CEO of Instagram prior to the acquisition while Krieger became the chief technical officer.

New pastures

The pair reportedly told Facebook about their decision on Monday. Systrom wrote a blog post to bid farewell, and explained that in order to focus on a new venture, they need to take a step away from Instagram.

"Building new things requires that we step back, understand what inspires us and match that with what the world needs; that’s what we plan to do," Systrom wrote. 

"We remain excited for the future of Instagram and Facebook in the coming years as we transition from leaders to two users in a billion. We look forward to watching what these innovative and extraordinary companies do next."

Krieger also took to Twitter to make a statement about his departure.

Over 8 years ago, Kevin and I started Instagram, hoping to build something that would bring out people’s creativity and spirit for exploration. Now it’s time for the next chapter. A huge thank you to everyone in the community who we’ve met along the way. https://t.co/9Omyj6VHbe

— Mike Krieger (@mikeyk) September 25, 2018