Of course that's a worse acquisition, but it doesn't have the flashy $1B price tag, and did anybody really expect better from Zinga? Instagram had strategic ti

Of course that's a worse acquisition, but it doesn't have the flashy $1B price tag, and did anybody really expect better from Zinga? Instagram had strategic timing for its IPO, and nipped a potential competitor in the bud. Facebook probably was worried (and rightfully, IMO) that it has lost its cool factor among young people, and that there was a vacuum of influence in the mobile space. Instagram was spreading insanely fast among young people, was natively mobile, and was centered around Facebook's most popular functionality (sharing photos with friends). Had Instagram incorporated more of the essential social networking features, it conceivably could have become the social networking site to dethrone Facebook. Squashing that threat when they did was very, very smart.