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Google Buys Twitter? Chris O'Brien's 11 Predictions for 2011

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Re: Google Buys Twitter? Chris O'Brien's 11 Predictions for 2011

#2

Post by cletus »

> 8. Venture capital blues: Expect both fundraising and investing to remain flat. While some firms will thrive, there's still an ongoing shakeout in this industry as the number of partners will continue to dwindle and returns will remain poor.

Huh? Is he in the same economy as me? Or is he deliberately excluding angel and other forms of seed I vesting, which are becoming an ever-increasing source of venture funding?

The big story here is that on the VC side there is a supply problem: meaning companies need less money. Valuations are going up as the money in the system competes for deals. An awful lot of companies can get profitable or acquired on seed investing alone.

As for Bartz going, it should happen and he's right why: she can't articulate what Yahoo is about.

Google buying Twitter? I doubt it. Not because Google doesn't want it but because Evan Williams has already sold Blogger to Google so a) he doesn't need the money and b) it didn't go that great. Twitter is hitting for the fences.

I can't see Facebook hitting 1 billion users this year. Facebook has the best of problems: it's running out of people to add to its service.

Tech IPOs: because of Sarbanes-Oxley and other factors the tech IPO in the US is basically dead except for the very biggest of companies. He contends none of these will IPO this year. I tend to agree. Typically you have 6+ months warning (through the rumor mill if nothing else) about a bi IPO, particularly with all the auditing required, so we're already running out of 2011 for that.

Re: Google Buys Twitter? Chris O'Brien's 11 Predictions for 2011

#3

Post by code_duck »

cletus wrote: post #2

> 8. Venture capital blues: Expect both fundraising and investing to remain flat. While some firms will thrive, there's still an ongoing shakeout in this industry as the number of partners will continue to dwindle and returns will remain poor. Huh? Is he in the same economy as me? Or is he deliberately excluding angel and other forms of seed I vesting, which are becoming an ever-increasing source of venture funding?…

I think that Google would very much like to acquire Twitter. They see their lack of success in the social area as a problem, and anyone - MS, Yahoo, facebook, etc. would love to own Twitter. The problem is as you note, Twitter doesn't seem at all interested in being acquired.

Re: Google Buys Twitter? Chris O'Brien's 11 Predictions for 2011

#4

Post by RobbieStats »

cletus wrote: post #2

> 8. Venture capital blues: Expect both fundraising and investing to remain flat. While some firms will thrive, there's still an ongoing shakeout in this industry as the number of partners will continue to dwindle and returns will remain poor. Huh? Is he in the same economy as me? Or is he deliberately excluding angel and other forms of seed I vesting, which are becoming an ever-increasing source of venture funding?…

Demand Media is going to be a big IPO and is scheduled for Jan/Feb.

Re: Google Buys Twitter? Chris O'Brien's 11 Predictions for 2011

#5

Post by axod »

code_duck wrote: post #3
cletus wrote: post #2

> 8. Venture capital blues: Expect both fundraising and investing to remain flat. While some firms will thrive, there's still an ongoing shakeout in this industry as the number of partners will continue to dwindle and returns will remain poor. Huh? Is he in the same economy as me? Or is he deliberately excluding angel and other forms of seed I vesting, which are becoming an ever-increasing source of venture funding?…

I think that Google would very much like to acquire Twitter. They see their lack of success in the social area as a problem, and anyone - MS, Yahoo, facebook, etc. would love to own Twitter. The problem is as you note, Twitter doesn't seem at all interested in being acquired.

I think the twitter hype has long peaked.

Could turn into another Digg.

Re: Google Buys Twitter? Chris O'Brien's 11 Predictions for 2011

#7

Post by scorpion032 »

It depends on how well Google Me does.

If Google Me indeed takes off, as a social layer (on top of application and presentation layer), they could just make buzz more prominent.

But if it doesn't, which it may, considering Google's failed investments in Buzz, Wave, Me, investment to buy twitter would seem compelling.

Re: Google Buys Twitter? Chris O'Brien's 11 Predictions for 2011

#9

Post by sushi »

RobbieStats wrote: post #4
cletus wrote: post #2

> 8. Venture capital blues: Expect both fundraising and investing to remain flat. While some firms will thrive, there's still an ongoing shakeout in this industry as the number of partners will continue to dwindle and returns will remain poor. Huh? Is he in the same economy as me? Or is he deliberately excluding angel and other forms of seed I vesting, which are becoming an ever-increasing source of venture funding?…

Demand Media is going to be a big IPO and is scheduled for Jan/Feb.

You said Big?

The company loses more money than it makes. How it it gonna be big?

Re: Google Buys Twitter? Chris O'Brien's 11 Predictions for 2011

#10

Post by bluelu »

axod wrote: post #5
code_duck wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that Google would very much like to acquire Twitter. They see their lack of success in the social area as a problem, and anyone - MS, Yahoo, facebook, etc. would love to own Twitter. The problem is as you note, Twitter doesn't seem at all interested in being acquired.

I think the twitter hype has long peaked. Could turn into another Digg.

On Digg, you had at least real persons signing up and some type of community. Twitter users are marketing people or self loving/promoting people. No normal person would sign up because there is simply no use to it. In 2-3 years, twitter will be dead.
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