Instagram hires first Director of Product, Facebook's Peter Deng

Product Management Director Peter Deng is leaving Facebook — but he’s not going far. The Verge reported Wednesday that Deng has accepted a position with Instagram, marking the photo-sharing company’s first Director of Product.

Deng has largely been responsible for Facebook’s rapid growth, and the company is hoping he can achieve similar results with Instagram. He has been a part of Facebook since 2007, working on News Feed and Facebook’s messaging platforms. Deng was a force behind Facebook’s Chat Heads, which started as a utility within Facebook Home, but has now migrated to both iOS and Android devices.

Facebook confirmed Deng’s hiring to Inside Facebook:

We are excited to announce that Facebook Product Management Director Peter Deng is joining the Instagram team as the Director of Product.