Why do Google and Facebook both want to buy Twitter? - Telegraph

Why do Google and Facebook both want to buy Twitter? - Telegraph

Unlike so many hyped start ups, Twitter has continued to grow, in terms of reach, usability and social impact.

And six years on from founding, all three of its founders, Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone and Evan Williams, are still involved with the site’s development in some way, which has meant that the service has stayed focused on its core purpose, and until last year, had even resisted commercialising.

Google wants total access to Twitter’s data so it can make real-time information an integrated part of its offering and not just an add-on. Since 2009 the search giant has been indexing Twitter users' tweets to add a real-time element to its search experience. Eighteen months on from that non-exclusive deal, Google has yet to create its own version of real-time search.

And similarly, Facebook, which was rumoured to have been interested in buying Twitter two years ago, would benefit massively from full access to Twitter’s rich data hose, in its bid to become the social web, within the web.