Atwitter over Twitter
May 5, 2009
I stepped off an airplane and faced a large number of Twitter acquisition rumors. I flipped through 15, maybe 20, and concluded that there is thin ice despite the heat generated by speculation. The one write up that resonated with me was Henry McCracken’s “Twapple? Let’s Recap a Dozen Other Apple Acquisitions That Aren’t Going to Happen.” Mr. McCracken wrote:
People love to talk about Apple buying other famous companies. Sometimes they say that deals are in the works (although I wonder if any of the rumored transactions even reached the talking-it-over stage). Other times, they just wistfully hope that a deal might happen, or wonder what would transpire if it did.
Spot on.
I believe that those with dough are making pilgrimages to the Twitter shrine. I believe that the deal climate is improving. I think that the buzz about Twitter has been increasing. Twittter has been the one outfit to make real gains in the Golden Age of Google. Twitter represents hope, not a season winning effort.
Without more facts, the conversation is similar to water cooler chatter before the NCAA tournament pairings are announced.
Stephen Arnold, May 5, 2009