Popular photo and video sharing app Snapchat has added Emily White, the former director of business operations at Instagram, as the company's new COO on Tuesday.
The hire marks a big talent grab by Snapchat, which has recently been the subject of several multi-billion dollar acquisition and investment deals, one of which was offered by Facebook, which owns the very app that Snapchat has pulled White away from.
According to AllThingsD, the hiring of a new COO is clear evidence that Snapchat won't be taking up any of the companies on their acquisition offer and will instead look to remain an independent company focused on growth.
White had been the director of mobile partnerships at Facebook beginning in 2011, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was assigned to work with Instagram and its co-founder Kevin Systrom in April and was involved in bringing advertisements to Instagram as recently as last month.
"It happened really quickly, but to have an actual COO role in one of many companies that is disrupting the communications arena is one I could not pass up," White, will work directly with Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel as the company's second in command, told AllThingsD. "I have always been captivated by the creativity that has gone into the product... and I think that Evan has been looking for someone who can help him grow and scale what is already something that has changed a lot of the way people think about the mobile experience."
The news comes just after the news in Oct. that Snapchat is seeking another round of funding to put into the company's growth. According to reports from the company, people are sending 400 million snaps per day either as photos or videos. It's possible to imagine that brands and several other retailers are interested in getting involved with the service in terms of advertising. The hope is likely that White's experience with that very thing at Instagram will help Snapchat accomplish the same thing.
