Would Google Screw Up Twitter?

Posted Apr 3, 2009 by David Risley  

This morning, Techcrunch has a fairly provocative story about Twitter and Google being in talks. Apparently, the story is that Google is looking to acquire Twitter.

The question is: Is this good or bad?

My first thought is Jaiku? Jaiku was doing OK until Google acquired it and then proceeded to do absolutely nothing with it. Scoble points out that they also bought a company called Dodgeball (an earlier Twitter-like site) and proceeded to do nothing with that. So, Google pretty much has a BAD track record here.

If history is any judge, a Google acquisition of Twitter would mean bad things for Twitter.

Microsoft should be shaking in it’s boots right now. Microsoft is already all but irrelevant when it comes to the Internet. Imagine how that would magnify if Google acquired Twitter? Especially when compared with Microsoft’s botched attempt to buy Yahoo.

I really like Google. I am a self-proclaimed Google whore and I think they do great things. But, I have mixed feelings about them potentially acquiring Twitter.

So, do YOU think Google would screw up Twitter? Do you even care?

Should we call it Twoogle?

One thing I consider a guarantee: The concept of Twitter is here to stay and will become as integral to our internet experience as email. Whether it is called Twitter or not, the idea of micro-blogging is here to stay.

Which Of These Traits Applies To YOUR Computing Life?...

3 Responses to “Would Google Screw Up Twitter?”

  1. They couldn’t do any worse than twitter does, little profit there.

  2. The thing that Google should be asking is “How do we monetise Twitter after acquiring it?”. The answer…? Well nobody’s managed to work that out fully yet; and Google have yet to do anything with those other two.

    Incidentally; what have they done with Feedburner? Not a lot by the looks of it. – Though I may be wrong? It seems to me that Google just like throwing money around to prove that they’re making it.

    What next? A Google Operating System?

Leave a Reply