Google will Acquire Twitter, Not Apple

The Apple rumor is utter BS — and makes no sense at all. We feel Google or a search engine focused company (Microsoft’s Live.com) will acquire Twitter. It’s about organizing data — cataloging posts. Just like Google picked up Blogger, the same thing will happen with Twitter. But Apple? No way….

Twitter Search is easily the most promising aspect of Twitter. People talk about mundane updates, or connecting with companies, or following celebrities — but that’s all small scale. The real power of Twitter lies in its aggregate data. Why do you think Google and every other company out there is interested in them? It’s not just because they are the hot ticket in town right now, despite what some would have you believe. It’s all about the data. And Twitter knows that too — and is apparently on the verge of some interesting moves with Twitter Search that will better highlight that. – from Techcrunch

For months, gossipmongers like us have been spreading word that Google might snatch up the microblogging company for a few hundred million. After all, Twitter’s main potential value lies in searching all those tweets in real time and the advertising that could accompany the search results. What business model does that sound like to you?

And Google’s not alone in reportedly salivating over all that searchable data. Apple has reportedly offered $700 million to make Twitter a part of the Steve Jobs family. In fact, Twitter Vice President of Operations Santosh Jayaram (who just happens to be Google’s former head of search quality) just announced a new breakthrough in searching tweets. Now, Twitter’s search engine will also crawl over each tweet, find any links people embedded in them, scan the linked page, and index the content to produce even more accurate results. In addition, Twitter’s search engine will also rank results according to whatever Internet or cultural trend is hot at the moment, as well as the popularity of each twitterer. Now everyone searching on Twitter gets to know what Ashton Kutcher thinks, whether they want to or not. – from Reuters

Forget all those rumors about Apple, Google, Microsoft or anyone else buying Twitter: The company’s bosses say Twitter is not for sale. Yesterday, Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams were on ABC’s “The View” as part of Twitter’s current media campaign that has also included appearances on Oprah and The Colbert Report. Responding to a question from Barbara Walters about the rumors surrounding an imminent purchase of Twitter by a larger tech company, Stone responded with an unequivocal, “No. We are not for sale.” – from PCWorld