AT&T or Verizon To Buy Twitter for $5 Billion
My prediction.
Anyone wanna bet? Over / under?
I'm sure I'm not the first person to offer up this idea.
Here's my thinking:
1. The carriers are making a killing off Twitter already via sms, increased demand for smart phones, and more data plans. Breaking news: Twitter DOES have a very lucrative biz model... for the carriers! 2. Imagine the competitive leverage one carrier would get over the other by owning Twitter.3. Twitter is a broadcast communication utility - it is "the pipes" - which is the core business of the carriers. If they're smart (they are), the carriers see Twitter-like services as the next generation, mass communication channel. And they certainly believe they have the marketing chops to push it "over the chasm" and make it truly mainstream. All of us Posterous users will run away screaming, but Middle America will happily fill the void.
Hell, maybe Comcast will also make a run on Twitter.
Now, EVERYONE will hate this idea because it's akin to Darth Vader luring Luke over to the dark side. We take such delight in hating the carriers and cable companies... and they love to stoke that hate!
Hate it or not, I bet we see some carrier action on our favorite little bird in 2010. If not, then Twitter may have to decentralize in 2010 (or crumble under it's own weight), with no way of making a buck.May the force be with you, Ev. (My advice: take the damn money!)
