Google is world’s most popular search engine and Twitter is fast becoming the most popular social platform on the web. So, does it make sense for Google to buy Twitter? It’s been nearly a year since the rumor of Google-Twitter acquisition originated and it doesn’t seem to be coming to an end any time soon.
Meanwhile, the landscape of both companies has changed significantly since 2009. Google has been on a rigorous shopping spree mopping up one startup after another, albeit none in the social media space. Meanwhile, Twitter’s popularity has skyrocketed in the last several months and it has transformed itself from being “just another micro-blogging service” to becoming the “world’s most popular social media network”.
So, why will or why should Google buy Twitter? Let’s find out.
1) Google Buzz and Google Wave are disaster
Despite being a Google fan boy, I’m forced to admit that Google’s forays into social networking were complete disaster. Google Buzz and Google Wave came & went, nobody noticed. After all, there was nothing much to notice in both Buzz and Wave. Google got its strategy wrong by promoting Buzz and Wave as plugins that operate through Gmail. The Wave UI is nothing to write about and to top it all; Google messed up big time on the privacy front with Buzz.
Google Buzz lost out big time due to the heavy negative publicity because of its privacy woes. And to be honest, it has never recovered since then. I don’t see Google Buzz coming even remotely close to Twitter as a competitor social platform, so it makes perfect sense for Google to open up its wallet, get Twitter in the bag and scrap Wave, and maybe not Buzz, altogether.
2) Twitter is over capacity
While Twitter is a great service and I’m one of its staunch admirers, I’m really disappointed with the increasing crashes and down times. The blue whale with the “Twitter is over capacity. Too many tweets! Please wait a moment and try again” happens way too often than what I can digest.
I strongly believe that Twitter is finding it very difficult to come to terms with the exponential user growth that it has over the last several months. The service is no longer robust and I fear that things are only bound to get worse. While Twitter has the option to add more hardware to its data centers and/ or move to a better hosting service like Amazon, I see that as temporary solutions. IMO, no other company can handle scaling traffic better than Google. It is the undisputed leader in distributed computing and knows the secrets of scalability much better than the Twitter team.
3) Beware of Microsoft
Microsoft has made a strong comeback in the search segment with Bing. If Google doesn’t buy Twitter, Microsoft will surely give it a try. Having snapped up Yahoo’s search business, Steve Balmer is looking for a few more high-profile acquisitions in order to set the record straight with Google. Twitter is a great source of instantaneous information – breaking news, links, reviews, conversations between people and what not, a perfect recipe for a search engine feed.
Do you agree that Google will eventually buy Twitter? Is it a question of when rather than why? Whatever your thoughts be, leave your comment and we’ll be glad to hear from you.
Looking at how everything is, I don't think twitter is ready to sell anytime soon. They have more features coming to twitter soon. Unless if @Biz wants to concentrate on other stuff. Twitter has always been @biz dreams.
So although Google wants to buy, I don't think twitter will sell their company to them. Moreover twitter just made another company purchase. It seems like twitter is on a shopping spree too LoL =D
Great post
Google is desperately in need of getting into the social space stronger than they've tried. Let's see if the price is right for Twitter.
Thanks for the comment Aaron.
Price is the bottom line on this one. The profit potential on the Twitter platform COULD be massive…Twitter just have to speculate on how much that is/going to be and look at the offers.
These “rumors” of a buyout by Google never cease to amaze me. It's simply one of those opinions which is almost being forced upon Google by the all knowing blogosphere.
I propose that if an acquisition of Twitter were to happen would simply be a talent buy for Google. They know that Evan Williams did such a great job with Blogger and they'd probably want him to head the social team at Google.
I guarantee that Google are more then happy with the existing data sharing partnership with Twitter, I don't expect anything more to develop.
its makes sence to me, they have youtube! the world best video site.
now its only right to have the world best social website but why twitter? why not try and take over facebook.
either way goggle is going to get its big gs out and get one of them thats for sure
I will leave twitter if Google buys them.
why leave if google buys! there not that bad!
like if Microsoft bought them god it would be down hill then
The guys at Twitter have said many times that the issues with the site's over capacity is a back-end issue with Ruby on Rails and no amount of servers will help. Rails is still a relatively new platform with huge scalability issues and Twitter is the largest app on the web right now.
It probably uses up more resources than all other RoR apps on the web combined. I'm sure they'll fix the issues in time. If not, they'll probably wish they had rewritten the site in PHP two years ago when it was just starting to take off.
If Google has the opportunity to acquire Facebook, it would do so in a heartbeat. Facebook is Google's only formidable competition on the web right now; Zuckerberg is to0 smart a guy to not know that. He would ask himself this question, “why sell to 'them' when we could beat them to No 2?” before considering any such deal.
You're right Josh. I would be for one, as you mentioned, for talent. Two, to position themselves conveniently in what is now the future of the web.
I believe Google will buy Twitter for their need to focus on “Intent Based Marketing”: http://www.michaelmyers.biz/CRUCES/google-is-go…
@ev says, “Been there, done that.”
very well put!
i think it is a possibility, certainly with M$ current stake in FB… if Bing can get the jump on implement social graph into search results it would be a huge leap for them.
G's only option would be to look at Twitter and see how they can implement the social elements into its SERPs.
Other than provide Real Time results, there are a number of ways to implement peoples social behaviour into search that will improve results
Google Buzz? That must have came out the day I had my bikini wax…
Why Google Will Buy Twitter. This is the high-touch, high-emotion content I was telling you about…great post Douglass.
This is one of those things that is a lot of fun to ponder. Its certainly not outside the realm of possibility and yet it would be meaningful in many ways…some perhaps not good.
Does anyone think that IF google was to purchase twitter, Twitter would jump the shark?
Thanks Dino. I can say this much that Google is salivating on the opportunity to snap up Twitter if only Twitter would consider the price as right.
Steve, how did it feel? 😉
Not as bad as when I had my colonoscopy…
yup, totally agree. but sometime this decade please.. yawn.. 😛
I'll surely miss that awesome whale.
Aw well, as long as Microsoft doesn't buy Twitter it's all good to me.
If Google buys Twitter – good luck to Twitter & good luck to Google. My observation is that Google may take control of excellent web services like Blogger & FeedBurner, but that they maintain the integrity and spirit of the original company.
I don’t think that Google would buy this, because their still recovering from Buzz and Wave being one of the worst social innovations that this decade or any part of the Internet has seen ever. And, if, they do buy this, Google will have alot of the infrastructure based on Bieber or anything else that’s Trending that day. There’s going to be a fail whale, because of the fact, that 50%-60% of the Internet, goes to Google and that’s what people first think of when they go on the Internet. And, @Biz, doesn’t want to be the next YouTube, oh wait, too early for that?
Another thing, if Microsoft buy this. They’ll do good, you know why? Because, of the fact, Yahoo! did good with the investment enrolled in with this. This would be a good option, because MSN shows your tweets on the homepage of the site and Google doesn’t.
Google is just the internet’s version of Microsoft.
*shudder* at the thought of G buying twitter . . . .
but how about this:
Would Facebook buy Twitter?
That’s a great thought, and another way to look at it but I don’t think Twitter would sell to Facebook.
Nope. IBM or Oracle
Nope that would be IBM or Oracle.
Really? Google buy Twitter? I don’t think so. Who remembers when Facebook tried to buy Twitter? Yea, didn’t happen! Why? Because the Twitter team understands the value of their service and they’re more valuable on their own.
To ease twitter outages and downtime its been proposed that Twitter become a messaging platform/tool like email to where it’s distributed amongst different service providers instead of one company hosting the entire thing. That’s essentially what might happen if Google got its hands on the service, they’d make it another ad platform and stunt growth.
I don’t see Twitter selling at any point in time because of the power shift that would be. They’d be crazy to give it up.
I think a Google acquisition of Twitter could be a boom for both companies. Twitter’s biggest obstacle is monetization. Their biggest strength is fast becoming search, with over 19 billion searches a month. If anyone knows how to monetize search, it is Google.
yes
I think point 3 is the one that will make the difference.
Granted, you wrote this article early last year. With Google teaming up with Twitter to help Egyptians use Voice service to tweet, I see you prediction coming to pass soon. ( I hate the Over capacity of the blue whale too, not just you)
I don’t think Twitter wants to be acquired yet. Especially by Google. I get the impression that Twitter sees itself as a Google of Social Media and will fight for a while before letting itself get acquired.
desperate Google 🙂
i think google will eventually buy twitter, because it’s the perfect combination for both companies from a business standpoint and it would be great for consumers to get information in the now from businesses and firms. however, that would only feed to the social media bubble that is currently growing (until it bursts) and i think in the long, LONG run twitter should never be bought out and work out its own problems to keep competitiveness at its best…most beneficial to society
It would not be uncharacteristic for Google to buy Twitter. In fact, it might make too much sense; they tend to invest in odd technologies.
It would be a wise investment for Apple, IF they let it operate independently (like FileMaker) and included more system-wide linking options within iOS apps. But the truth is Apple would not let it alone; it would somehow be fused with Ping in iTunes and quickly die on the vine. Apple likes to roll its own so it’s more likely Ping will become integrated with iOS, even though no one uses it.
Twitter has one unique concept “less is more”. It is proven that this concept is easy to adopt and even more important limit of 140 characters bring the best of every tweet. I don’t think that Twitter is on a losing gameplay.
Would be a great for me – my 2 faves
Grammar is underrated. Always proof-read before posting.
I got attracted with your social tool bar moreover buffer app I never seen that in any tool bar
So did Google + put an end to this?
it would be Google Twitter 🙂
looks nice
Douglas: a shorter reason: Because they can. Twitter has always been a great service in search for a business model. They are cash negative. Google can afford to bu them and take a chance. Simple, they will buy it because they canZ,
Flawed premise: “Twitter is fast becoming the most popular social platform on the web.” & becoming the “world’s most popular social media network”. On what basis are those statements made? Completely unsubstantiated. 850 million v. 200 million where 80%+ of content is produced by less than 10% of users. That’s not social.
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