John Battelle: On Google Buying Twitter
Last week, there was a fair amount of talk that Google should buy Twitter,
sourced largely off the NYTimes DealBook. John Battelle, journalist, professor and author of The Search, says otherwise:
Here’s my simple reasoning for why Google won’t buy Twitter: Twitter won’t sell.
I think it’s hard for many people to understand what motivates someone who’s in the position of Twitter’s founders. Automatically, we think it’s money because money is such a conventional reward for work done well and creating something literally world-changing. But is it?
They’ve got a tiger by the tail, the chance to build an independent, lasting legacy that will cement each one of them forever into the immortal tablets of business history. It’s really, really hard to pass that chance up, especially if you’ve already gotten a score or two under your belt. Why not swing for the fences if you’re already batting over 300?
In short, they’re not in it for the money. They’re in it for the immortality. And that’s a much, much bigger deal.
And with that, let the many bar conversations begin about how Evan and Jack and Biz are stupid and shortsighted. Behind it all, remember that Mark Zuckerberg turned down a $1B offer for Facebook, largely because it’s not money that drives a guy like that. Today, Facebook is valued at $34B and rumored to have the potential to become bigger than Google itself.
Stay true to your vision and passion and the money will follow.
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