Mar 14, 2019

Instagram's top communications staffer exits

David McCabe

Kristina Schake (left) in 2014. Photo: Kristin Murphy/Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival

Instagram’s top communications staffer, Kristina Schake, has left the popular Facebook-owned service, according to multiple sources.

Why it matters: Instagram’s success has been a bright spot for Facebook's business. But Schake is not the only exec to leave the company. Instagram’s founders left last year over reported tensions with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Also, this week, 2 top Facebook executives announced they were departing.

Details: Schake left the company recently, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

  • She is now filling in as former First Lady Michelle Obama's communications director for a few months while the person permanently in the job, Caroline Adler Morales, is on maternity leave, another source familiar with the matter said. (Schake previously served in the role when the Obamas were in the White House.)
  • Schake, who declined to offer comment, will accompany Obama on the ongoing book tour for her memoir Becoming.

Flashback: Schake joined Instagram in 2017 after holding some high-profile roles in Democratic politics, including serving as former First Lady Michelle Obama's communications director and on Hillary Clinton's last presidential campaign.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with more details about Kristina Schake's new role with Michelle Obama.

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