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Is Google Buying Twitter?

by Chad Mumm on April 3, 2009 at 01:15 PM



According to TechCrunch blogger and rumorist extraordinaire Michael Arrington, Google is beginning to negotiate the acquisition of microblogging site Twitter, which has seen a meteoric rise in popularity in recent months. While there is no word on a price tag, you can bet, if the negotiations are happening, that it will be a huge number. Why? Well, because a few months ago, Twitter turned down a $500 million offer from Facebook, and the site has only grown exponentially since then.

Twitter, more than any other new site, has its thumb on the pulse of the Internet. It accumulates millions of user thoughts, conversations, links, and opinions into a constantly-updated feed, making it an incredibly powerful search tool. And, although Google is the reigning search king, it can't even get close to offering what Twitter does. According to Arrington, "[Twitter] holds the keys to the best real-time database and search engine on the Internet, and Google doesn't even have a horse in the game."

If the negotiation rumors are true, then this would be a great deal for Google, since Twitter is only going to keep growing. If the deal is actually on the table, and does wind up going through, you shouldn't expect a lot of changes to Twitter. We wouldn't be surprised, though, if Google were to incorporate Twitter posts into its own search and news aggregator. Other than that, we would expect Google to treat the property as it treats YouTube -- keeping the look and feel, and snatching the advertising revenue. Still, we're taking this story with several grains of salt, since Michael Arrington tends to put the cart before the horse. We'll be following this story as it develops, so stay tuned. [From: TechCrunch]


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Tags: acquisition, buyout, google, sale, twitter

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