First there were rumours of Google planning to buy micro-blogging site Twitter. However, following ‘late-stage’ talks between the two companies, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has publicly stated that it was simply a meeting, and that the firm meets regularly with other technology companies.
He qualified this by adding that the “goal is to build a profitable, independent company”, but this didn’t stop more rumours that Microsoft, and even Apple, were supposedly interested in buying the firm, specifically for US€700m, as reported by TechCrunch.
However, Stone yesterday appeared on US television show The View, stating categorically that Twitter was not for sale.
“We’re just getting started, as I’ve said. The company is two years old, we have so much to do, so much product stuff to fix, and so much growing to do,” he told host Barbara Walters.
Twitter was founded in 2006, and grew slowly but steadily until 2008, when its uptake by celebrities including Stephen Fry and Ashton Kutcher greatly accelerated sign-ups to the 140-character social networking/messaging service.
The company has raised US$55m in funding to date.
By Marie Boran
