Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram orders workers back to office 5 days per week

Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram is requiring all of its US-based employees to return to the office five days per week, a company spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.

The five-day requirement takes effect on Feb. 2 and applies to employees who are assigned a desk at a US office, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said in an internal memo titled “building a winning culture in 2026” that circulated Monday and was first obtained by the Sources newsletter.

“I believe that we are more creative and collaborative when we are together in-person,” Mosseri wrote, according to a copy of the memo obtained by Business Insider. “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 plan does not apply to remote workers at Instagram or to employees at other Meta-owned apps like Facebook or WhatsApp. Since September 2023, Meta has required employees to be in the office at least three days per week.

Instagram employees will “still have the flexibility to work from home” on an as-needed basis, according to Mosseri, who urged workers to “use your best judgment in figuring out how to adapt to this schedule.”

As part of the return-to-office push, Mosseri said he would take steps to streamline Instagram’s operations, including canceling non-essential recurring meetings every six months.

“I want most of your time focused on building great products, not preparing for meetings,” Mosseri wrote.

In New York, Mosseri added that Instagram would first address “space constraints” at office sites before implementing the mandate.

The Sources newsletter was first to report on the memo. A Meta spokesperson confirmed its authenticity but declined further comment.

Elsewhere, Amazon implemented a five-day office requirement for its workers in January, while Microsoft and Uber recently shifted to a hybrid three day per week schedule.