As you might have already read in Josh Halliday’s article in The Guardian Would Facebook or Google ruin Twitter? I was asked to comment on the Wall Street Journal’s Twitter’s Suitors Talk in Billions suggestion that both Facebook and Google had been in ‘low level talks’ about acquiring Twitter for between $8 and $10b. Companies talk to other companies at a ‘low level’ all the time, so I wouldn’t put too much weight on this. Even so, I just can’t see Facebook being interested. Google, on the other hand, really needs a social networking arm and Twitter could well be it. But whether Twitter with revenues of c$100m is worth $10b to anybody is another matter. Also, Twitter is a bit of a maverick site – so being owned by a Google might not be received too well by its users.
Update - More comment from Holway in Friday's Guardian Twitter valued at $10
As readers know, I have long (like four years ago..) suggested that Microsoft should buy Facebook and turn it into their consumer portal to the Cloud. Problem is that Facebook’s price has gone up so much since that I doubt Microsoft could now afford to make the requisite offer.
But how about floating another rumour? Totally without any substance, I should add! How about Microsoft merging with Nokia? Think about it. Microsoft really needs an iPhone/iPad hardware platform. Nokia needs a mobile operating system as my article yesterday highlighted. See Nokia torn between burning alive and drowning. The odds on a Microsoft/Nokia partnership being announced tomorrow are narrowing by the hour. Why not go the whole hog and merge the companies?
Note – Richard Holway is a shareholder in both Apple and Microsoft.