James Appleby

Digital product designer in San Francisco, California.

A photo of James looking left with a neutral facial expression.

I’m passionate about crafting beautiful, valuable, and inclusive experiences that spark connection and joy.

Presently I’m at Instagram working on Threads.

Instagram

2022–Present

I'm the design lead for the Threads Growth pillar. Our mission is to build the world's most culturally relevant public conversation app. Previously I worked on the Instagram Friend Sharing team.

LinkedIn

2020–2022

I designed for the Home Feed Engagement team, enabling our 800 million+ users to connect with people and topics they care about.

Paradox

2016–2020

Paradox builds AI recruiting products. I was the first product designer enabling go-to-market and rapid growth. Today, the company serves customers like Pfizer, Unilever, General Motors and McDonalds and is worth $1.5+ billion.