Twitter and the concept of micro-blogging friends, family, co-workers and even fans are gaining so much popularity that it has caught the attention of
Google. The Internet giant is rumored to be in talks to buy the Internet start-up, according to a Reuters (
News -
Alert)
report, though some IT insiders
disagree.
Reuters appears to have gotten its information from the
TechCrunch Web site where late Thursday, Michael Arrington said the two companies are in talks to potentially work together on a Google (
News -
Alert) real-time search engine. It is expected that Google would pay for Twitter in cash or stock or a combination of the two.
Neither Arrington nor Reuters were able to verify the rumor through Google or Twitter. Arrington is said to be the first to report on the rumor that Google would buy video-sharing site
YouTube in late 2006. His record is sometimes spotty, but his predictions have been true often enough to be worth consideration.
The talks are still in the very early stages, according to Arrington. When trying to reach a Google spokesperson in London, Reuters was told that the company did not comment on rumors or speculation. Twitter could not be reached for comment.
Despite the rumors, Kara Swisher reported on her
Boomtown blog that the story was inaccurate, citing “a number of sources.”
Based in San Francisco, California, Twitter has enjoyed a significant surge in population since its launch onto the mainstream three years ago. The only problem is the company has yet to make any money on its endeavor. Apparently, Google still recognizes the potential, as well as the company’s ability to appeal to a broad audience.
According to Twitter’s co-founder Biz Stone, in a March statement, the company is eager to partner with other market players, including Google, but is not interested in a merger or buyout.
Whether or not a profitable relationship will emerge out of suspected talks between these two companies is yet to be seen. There is recognizable potential in a working relationship, especially considering the brand power each company brings to the table.
The major question will be whether Twitter brings enough to the table to warrant effort from Google. Twitter can certainly benefit from a partnership, maybe even more so than Google – pointing to a greater question as to why Google would even be interested.
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Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by
Michael Dinan
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