Twitter not for sale - but here's how it could make money

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 07 May 2009 13:03

Opinion and Analysis

Speculation that Apple or another major player is preparing to acquire Twitter has been crushed, at least for now. But I do have an idea about how the company could start making money.

A rumour that Apple was talking to Twitter about an acquisition caused quite a stir in the blogosphere. (For what it's worth, I discounted the idea.)

Twitter founder Biz Stone has now categorically stated on US TV that the company is not for sale.

So let's see if we can start another rumour: Twitter's not for sale because a deal's already been done.

Nah, I wouldn't swallow that one either.

The real question remains. How can Twitter bring in some revenue to justify the valuation being put on the company? The owners have already turned down a $US500 million offer by Facebook.

Mind you, that was $US500 million mostly in the form of Facebook stock, and since Facebook isn't listed, it's hard to determine whether that valuation was realistic.

So where might the revenue come from?

Google-style ads on Twitter's web pages? Too many people use client software rather than a browser to send and read tweets.

Please read on for some other possibilities, including my favourite.