Adam Mosseri Orders Most US Instagram Staff Back to Office Five Days a Week — Fewer Meetings, More Prototypes

Instagram head Adam Mosseri has instructed most employees who are based in US offices with assigned desks to return to in-person work five days a week beginning February 2, according to an internal memo obtained by reporter Alex Heath. The directive is part of a broader effort to make Instagram "more nimble and creative" as competition intensifies.

"I believe that we are more creative and collaborative when we are together in-person," Mosseri wrote. "I felt this pre-COVID and I feel it any time I go to our New York office where the in-person culture is strong."

The memo, titled "Building a Winning Culture in 2026," lays out several operational changes designed to speed product development and sharpen focus across the organization. Mosseri emphasizes fewer meetings, more product prototypes, and a faster, formalized unblocking process to prevent decisions from stalling.

Key changes announced

1. Return to the office: Starting February 2, employees who are part of Mosseri's rollup and have assigned desks in US offices are asked to be in the office five days a week. Remote employees are unaffected. The New York office will delay a full-time expectation until space constraints are resolved.
2. Menlo Park desk changes: Menlo Park will move from MPK21 to MPK22 on January 26 so employees there will have assigned desks. Some employees whose commutes would improve may be offered transfers to the San Francisco office.
3. Fewer meetings: Every six months, recurring meetings will be canceled and only re-added if considered "absolutely necessary." Recurring 1:1s are encouraged to be biweekly by default, and employees are supported in declining meetings that conflict with focus time.
4. More demos, less decks: Product overviews should favor prototypes over slide decks to provide tangible proofs of concept and reveal product dynamics. Strategy documents should be concise (three pages max) and follow the prescribed template.
5. Faster decision-making: A formal unblocking process with designated responsible individuals (DRIs) will be instituted. Mosseri plans to attend the weekly priorities progress unblocking meeting and will delegate decision authority to a direct report when he cannot attend.
6. Cross-functional teams: Cross-functional (XFN) partners will continue to follow their existing organizational norms.

Mosseri framed these measures as necessary for Instagram to maintain its creative edge and move more quickly. He told teams he wants "most of your time focused on building great products, not preparing for meetings," and said the changes should help Instagram advance "with creativity, boldness, and craft."

Excerpt from the memo — "Building a Winning Culture in 2026"

We've made good progress this year on Instagram standing for creativity and Threads standing for perspectives, but we still need to do more if we want to lead in both areas. A big part of this will come down to strategy, and I feel good about the plan we've put together for next half. Equally important is how well we work. It's clear we have to evolve, so we're going to make a series of changes next year:

1. Back to the office: I believe that we are more creative and collaborative when we are together in-person. I felt this pre-COVID and I feel it any time I go to our New York office where the in-person culture is strong.

2. Fewer meetings: We'll cancel recurring meetings every six months and only re-add those that are absolutely necessary. Make recurring 1:1s biweekly by default and protect focus blocks.

3. More demos, less decks: Prefer prototypes to decks for product overviews; when strategy docs are needed, keep them to three pages max.

4. Faster decision-making: We'll formalize an unblocking process with DRIs and a weekly priorities progress meeting to ensure decisions don't linger.

At an upcoming All Hands, leaders will share more details and priorities for next year. These changes are intended to help Instagram move forward with creativity, boldness, and craft.