Google Reportedly in Talks to Buy Twitter

[Carlos Spicy Wiener]

Twitter, the micro-blogging service that has taken the social networking scene by storm in recent months, could be on the verge of receiving some huge tech street credit.

The free service that lets users post short text messages to the Web is in talks to sell itself to Internet search giant Google (GOOG: 370.22, 7.48, 2.06%), according to TechCrunch, a technology blog.

It?s not clear how much Mountain View, Calif-based Google would pay for Twitter, but TechCrunch says it is likely well north of the $250 million valuation recently placed on the service.

In a blog entry on its Web site entitled "Sometimes We Talk," Twitter responded to the reports by saying, "It should come as no surprise that Twitter engages in discussions with other companies regularly and on a variety of subjects." The company added, "Our goal is to build a profitable, independent company and we're just getting started."

A Google spokeswoman told FOX Business, ?We don't comment on rumor or speculation.?

Google is considering paying for Twitter in cash, stock or a combination of both, TechCrunch reported. The apparent takeover talks come just months after Twitter reportedly turned down a buyout offer from Facebook.

Not everyone is sold on the talk of an imminent Google/Twitter marriage, however.

According to The Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital blog, the two companies have simply been engaged in preliminary product-related discussions surrounding a real-time search engine. TechCrunch also reported about a possible collaboration on a real-time search engine.

Asked by All Things Digital's Kara Swisher about an imminent acquisition, a source said: "Seriously, no negotiations, no deal, nada." At the same time, Swisher concludes that Google is Twitter's likeliest acquirer and that there's no question the service is being watched closely by Google.

All Things Digital, like FOX Business, is owned by News Corp. (NWS: 8.7901, 0.2501, 2.93%).

The talk about a potential takeover of Twitter comes hours after the company?s founder, Biz Stone, appeared on the ?Colbert Report,? a comedy show on Viacom?s (VIA: 21.19, 0.4, 1.92%) Comedy Central.

?We?re going to remain a strong, independent company based in San Francisco,? Stone told the show?s host, Stephen Colbert.

Twitter, which has just 30 employees, was founded in 2006 and operates out of a loft in San Francisco's SoMA neighborhood. The start-up burst onto the scene last year as the media hyped the new service despite it?s inability so far to make any money.

By the time of President Barack Obama?s speech to a joint session of Congress in January, dozens of Senators and members of Congress were seen commenting about the speech on Twitter.

In recent months, actors like Ashton Kutcher and athletes such as the NBA?s Shaquille O?Neal have also started using the service.

In his interview Thursday evening, Stone stressed the company was in no rush to make money now and is taking its time developing the best revenue models.

While Stone said last month his company is interested in partnering with Google or other companies, he said he wasn?t considering a buyout or merger.

[Frothy Afterbirth]

Great, Google will only fuck things up because I know they're not going to provide more tech support.

They should concentrate on putting more staff for Youtube. They still haven't fixed the damn flash problem for Firefox browsers. This what I get for nearly 2 years when going to Youtube despite that I have everything updated. "Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player." I'm forced to download any video and use an external flv player.
Fucking dickheads.

[gallow737]

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Works fine on my firefox