Instagram boss reveals he’s paid $900K per year plus stock worth ‘tens of millions of dollars’ as he denies ‘addiction’ claims

Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri’s compensation came under fire during the landmark social media addiction trial against its parent company, Meta, and YouTube in Los Angeles on Wednesday. 

Mosseri, who has led Instagram since 2016, revealed under questioning that he is paid roughly $900,000 a year and receives annual performance-based bonuses that can be up to half his salary, according to multiple outlets covering the trial. Mosseri also earns stock-based pay, which he said varies yearly but has been in the “tens of millions of dollars.” Some years, it’s been over $20 million, he said.

The 20-year-old plaintiff, identified by the initials “KGM” or “Kaley,” alleges that she developed mental health issues owing to a social media addiction. Mosseri’s compensation came up when her lawyer, Mark Lanier, inquired about a connection between his pay and the choices he made about the company’s growth—and whether fueling social-media addiction was incentivized. Lanier also brought up Mosseri’s previous reference to Instagram’s addictive qualities in a podcast, although it was not apparent which podcast he was referri...