Twitter has acquired TweetDeck, an application for organizing the display of tweets, for more than $40 million in a mix of cash and stock, according to sources close to the deal.
Although Twitter reps weren't available for comment, the company's PR account tweeted, "For all those who might be curious, we continue to not comment on rumors." Betaworks, a key investor in TweetDeck, was not immediately available for comment.
I am extremely happy and proud to let you know that TweetDeck has been acquired by Twitter. We completed the deal on Tuesday and are now in the process of "joining the flock".
The past three years have been an epic journey, with many highs and lows, accompanied by the constant thrill of never really knowing what to expect next. We've grown from one team member and a single user, to a team of fifteen and a user-base of millions. The reason for this growth is simple - our unwavering focus on providing high-quality tools and services for the Twitter-centric power-user. This has always been our core audience - the most active, influential and valuable users of Twitter and social media in general. Quality over quantity.
It is precisely for this reason that Twitter has acquired TweetDeck. The mainstream Twitter user-base is well catered for by twitter.com and the official mobile clients. And by becoming part of the official platform, TweetDeck will now fill that role for brands, influencers, the highly active and anyone that just needs "more power".
Wouldn't it be cheaper to pay a team in Russia to code something similar (or better!) then offer it from the home page of Twitter?
[edited by: scotland at 6:54 pm (utc) on May 25, 2011]
from garnering too much of the marketshare when it comes to Twitter users.
TweetDeck is your personal real-time browser, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Google Buzz and more.
How does twitter make money in the first place?
