Google screwed up buying Betamax (Jaiku) so they’re now after VHS (Twitter)
May 5, 2009 //
When Google first announced that it had acquired Jaiku, my first question was, ‘why?’. Why buy the second best in the market?! I’m a firm believer in going after the best and only the best. Some would argue that Jaiku is more feature-rich and easier to use than Twitter. However, I was never attracted to it because none of my followers/friends were on there. ‘Better’ doesn’t necessarily equal ‘better features’. In Twitter’s case, it’s main benefit was ‘people’ (i.e. users).
When Google launched Latitude I thanked my contacts at the company for educating the marketing as clearly, their product doesn’t actual solve a problem. I’ll write more about that later. By launching latitude without any Jaiku integration, it proves they were unable to make use of the software. Perhaps they knew they were flogging a dead horse. Anyway, it’s a little late to go after Twitter - they should have put in an offer when (all) of my friends were mocking me for using the service - when it was still very early and mainly used as a one-way broadcast medium.
Unsurprisingly, Twitter turned down Googles offer and according to TechCrunch, it looks like Apple is now making a move.
So, who’s going to buy Twitter? Apple, Google, Microsoft or one of the main operators (carriers)?
I’m hoping Twitter remains independent but there’s only so long they can hold back from a gazillon dollars.
kevin says 
Viola says 
Hermione Way says 
David Hart says 
Oh lordy, Apple to buy Twitter? Are they bidding just to get some press time? I could almost understand Google wanting to buy Twitter but not Apple.
May 5th, 2009
Interesting post, but think there’s a lot of personal and other factors that lead to Goog not pursuing twitter - i.e. the fact that both Ev and Biz used to work at Google (Ev via Blogger). Think Google thought the tech behind Jaiku might be better then the tech behind twitter. Also, Twitter did really well with the open API and buying Summize for more engineering talent.
Not sure who’s offering a gazillion but think they’ve raised enough money to stay independent for a while.
May 5th, 2009
@Farhan - Google don’t buy companies for their technology. They buy companies mostly for the people and the secondly, customer base.
Jack, who came up with the idea and is Chair of Twitter, invented the app to be the delivery mechanism for the tread of conversation (I’m paraphrasing badly) - simple, but effective. Juri from Jaiku on the other hand, is all about physiology etc. Google got it wrong in my opinion.
I’ve had dinner with Jack and I’ve had Juri pitch to my panel at Essential Web 2007 and I can safely say that Twitter always impressed me more.
May 5th, 2009
Jyri Engestrom is doing more with social objects in Google’s cloud than Biz Stone could ever conceptualise. A lot of the evolution of iGoogle and its products are as a result of people Google hired when it bought out and suffocated the smaller companies. Their handiwork is now part of the Google Application Engine and slowly gaining mind share with anyone using Docs, Gmail, Latitude, Chat and Maps.
I used to fret when things like Dodgeball or Writely or Jaiku got sucked up into Google. Then I spotted things from each of those little cloud applications that reappeared in parts of the Google stable. I’m no megaphone for the Googleplex but I do think my productivity is higher on account of Google Apps.
May 5th, 2009
Just for the record, I never mocked you for using Twitter, Paul.
Totally agree with your analysis, though.
May 13th, 2009