Instagram’s workforce is about to feel a big shift, and it’s not just about showing up at the office again. CEO Adam Mosseri told employees that starting February 2, US-based staff will need to return to the office five days a week. The memo was first reported by Business Insider, and a company spokesperson confirmed it was real. According to the update, the only exception is Instagram’s New York City office, where employees won’t be required to return full-time until the company can “alleviate the space constraints.” Remote workers will stay remote.
On the surface, Mosseri pointed to the familiar corporate reasoning for this kind of move. He said bringing people together in the same space will boost collaboration. He also said creativity gets stronger when people work together face-to-face. But he didn’t stop there. He made it clear he doesn’t want the team returning to the same routines they left behind.
In the memo, Mosseri said the company needs a serious break from the habits that have crept in. He wrote that a “winning culture” won’t come from more meetings and long presentations. Instead, he wants teams to focus on getting rid of unnecessary calls and PowerPoints and spend more time building things and experimenting. He also said one-on-one meetings should shift to a biweekly rhythm by default, and people should feel empowered to decline meetings that land inside their “focus blocks.” The message was basically: come back to the office, but leave the old office clutter behind.
Instagram isn’t the only major tech company moving toward a firmer in-person schedule, but it is one of the most aggressive. Earlier this year, Amazon became one of the first tech giants to push for a full-time office return beginning in 2026. Google and Microsoft have both tightened their flexible policies, but neither has gone as far as a five-day return. Google recently raised restrictions on its “work from anywhere” option, which lets employees spend a few weeks a year working away from their assigned location. Microsoft has taken a more gradual approach, rolling out a three-day in-office plan that will be phased in by February 2026.
Mosseri framed Instagram’s move as something the company needs in order to stay sharp heading into what he says will be a tough year. “These changes are going to meaningfully help us move Instagram forward in a way we can all be proud of—with creativity, boldness, and craft,” he wrote.
The bigger message seems to be that Instagram isn’t trying to restore the old office culture—it’s trying to reinvent it. The company is betting that a tighter, more intentional in-person structure will help clear out the distractions that built up during the years of flexible work and bring more energy back into the day-to-day.
For employees, the new routine will be a major adjustment, but Mosseri clearly believes it’s worth it. And as other tech companies rethink their hybrid approaches, Instagram’s return-to-office play may become a preview of where the industry is heading.