A mole may have informed Google that Twitter was attempting to poach two of its senior engineers.
According to Business Insider, the tip-off reportedly allowed Mountain View to submit a “counter-offer” before Twitter made its initial offer.
Fishy? Perhaps.
Nevertheles, some say new intel is pointing towards Kleiner Perkins partner John Doerr as the mole-at-large. Doerr’s self-professed life motto is “no conflict, no interest,” which makes this type of tip-off right up his alley.
This is the same man, who, after receiving legal advice that as a member of Google’s board, it might be a conflict of interest if he also becomes a Twitter board member, showed up at Twitter’s January board meeting as an “observer.”
Some say the conflict of interest stems from the type of information that could be learned at such board meetings – information which would be competitive and proprietary in nature if presented to the other company.
The information could also include who Twitter might be trying to hire.
Coincidence?! We think not.
Still, BusinessInsider’s Henry Blodget hypothesizes that instead of a mole, the two poaching targets – Sundar Pichai and Neal Mohan – may have told Google of Twitter’s interest themselves in advance of a formal offer.
So which is it? High-level mole? Or open admittance on behalf of the engineers?
