Report: Google in Talks to Acquire Twitter
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: Google, Twitter, Acquisition | Themes: The Internet, Business
A while back there was talk of Facebook acquiring Twitter; and although there was truth in all the rumors and whispering, questions of the value of the social networking site’s stock were raised and the deal faded into oblivion.
Today, even bigger, more interesting rumors about a Twitter acquisition hit the wire. In what could be a hugely lucrative deal for Google, several reports citing sources close to the negotiations say that the two are in talks that would see the search giant acquire the micro-blogging site.
The word on the street the last few days has been that Twitter could do Google some serious damage when it comes to search and, while some are poo-pooing the acquisition rumors with claims that Google could recreate Twitter itself if it was interested in the technology, we think the company is more likely to buy than to build. It’s the old saying, you can bring a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink. If Google were to create something that acts like twitter, and perhaps even looks like Twitter, it’s still hit and miss as to whether people would actually use it.
Rumors range from saying 'it’s still early days in talks' to claims that they’ve all but licked the envelope and sealed it shut. We’ll keep you posted with this one, especially on price. Twitter asked Facebook for $500 million in cash and stocks and instead of taking the deal, the company spent a fraction of that on a complete redesign that wasn’t exactly well received.
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i know facebook's new update was purely out of fear of twitter [i read an article that quoted the maker himself]... if the facebook guy does things right, he won't have anything to fear, because twitter isn't exactly a social networking site, i'd like to talk to my friends, and leave them messages because i don't have time to AIM anymore.
anywho, if google acquires twitter, i'm gonna need to see what all the fuss is about
Never even used twitter, no WONDER I've felt this emptiness inside me. I MUST TWEET! D:
I don't really understand the appeal.
Unless you lead some extremely fascinating life, like a combination Beer Taster/Roller Coaster Rider job, I'm probably not interested in hearing that you have to go to work and you're tired.
If twitter is web 2.0 I'll wait for 3.0, thanks.
soon google is going to own the world.
Google (goo-gal): a very big number, popular search site.
see also: Big Brother, New World Order
i wouldnt mind if google owned the world... most things would be free... provided i looked at their ads :-P
I simply can't understand the fascination and outright addiction that people get with such worthless sites.
Google acquires things and generally makes them better, so this would be a good thing.
Being able to send updates straight from gmail or youtube would improve the service.
BTW guys: this isn't about how you don't like Twitter, it's about google acquiring them.
"In what could be a hugely lucrative deal for Google ..."
How is spending $500 million on a service that they could recreate in two weeks going to be hugely lucrative for Google? It sounds obscenely expensive to me.
"In what could be a hugely lucrative deal for Google ..."How is spending $500 million on a service that they could recreate in two weeks going to be hugely lucrative for Google? It sounds obscenely expensive to me.
Just because you can make your own running shoes, doesn't mean you shouldn't buy a pair of Nikes. Sure, Google could come up with their own Twitter, but would its userbase match the 6 million people that is Twitter's? Maybe, maybe not. It's the uncertainty that would push them to buy. Look at Orkut, Google's social networking site. Fell on its face for the most part.
I think that it makes perfect sense to buy them and add them to the portfolio then to try to make something comparable.
Let's face it, most average users on the internet aren't very tech savvy and they will keep going to the places they go to now. Buying twitter now nets you ALL of those people, as opposed to trying to get them all to switch.
Not to mention that they may have patented the concept.
Not to mention that they may have patented the concept.
If their concept is patentable, then the US patent system is even worse shape than I thought.