Twitter is reportedly in talks to buy TweetDeck for approximately $50 million.
TweetDeck – a third-party app designed to integrate with Twitter – filters conversations based on keywords and messages, while allowing users to write tweets in excess of the default 140 character limit.
Twitter has been trying to cut down on third party applications that do not have features particularly different than offered on its own site. For example, the site recently sent out a memo asking developers to focus on apps that present data in a new and different way, rather than the more traditional client apps.
Twitter declined to comment on the above-mentioned report, while TweetDeck failed to respond to requests for comment.
TweetDeck has at least 15 employees, the majority of which are located in the UK.
Interestingly enough, Twitter has also been recruiting engineers in London with plans to open a U.K. office. No word yet if Twitter will “adopt” some of the former UK-based TweetDeck employees, if and when a potential deal goes through.
It should be noted that Twitter and TweetDeck have worked closely together in the past.
For example, promoted tweets streaming within a user’s Twitter feed appear as ads on TweetDeck as part of a lucrative revenue-sharing agreement between the two companies.
If Twitter does purchase TweetDeck, chances are the company will rebrand TweetDeck for its own purposes, offering users yet another way to use Twitter as a desktop client.
(Via WSJ)
