A surgical instrument for treating the tissue of a patient is disclosed. The surgical instrument comprises a staple cartridge. The staple cartridge comprises staple cavities and a longitudinal slot. The surgical instrument further comprises staples removably positioned in the staple cavities, a cutting member movable within the longitudinal slot, a firing system configured to elect the staples from the staple cavities to staple the tissue, a cutting system configured to move the cutting member within the longitudinal slot to cut the tissue, and a control system configured to operate the firing system and the cutting system independently of one another.
