Twitter Reportedly in “Advanced Talks” to Purchase TweetDeck for $50 Million

  • Share
  • Read Later

According a report in the Wall Street Journal, Twitter is in “advanced talks” that would lead to the purchasing of the popular client TweetDeck for $50 million, according to people “familiar with the matter.”

At the time of the report, a Twitter spokesperson declined to comment, and TweetDeck’s chief executive was unavailable.

TweetDeck adds several layers of functionality to Twitter, allowing users to parse out separate lists of users while managing and mapping out tweets in advanced. In addition to a built-in link shortener, TweetDeck also acquired Deck.ly earlier this year, allowing users unfamiliar with brevity to post messages longer than 140-characters. (A popular sentiment goes something like this: “If you need to use Deck.ly, you’re using it wrong.”)

Twitter currently has over 200 million registered users, but it’s undisclosed exactly how many of those are active accounts. Twitter’s most recent valuation saw the San Francisco based company estimated to be worth somewhere around $7.7 billion, although the company hasn’t exactly figured out a viable revenue model to support its massive scale.

Jonathan Strauss, chief executive of Awe.sm, which tracks marketing campaigns across social media, argues that Twitter needs to attract a more mainstream audience in order to expand. He tells the Wall Street Journal, “Most people understand Twitter exists, but they don’t understand what Twitter is and how they can participate.”

The potential acquisition of TweetDeck could indicate a shift in strategy, as reports of a new homepage earlier this month pointed to a refocusing on “interests” rather than “friends.” Adding in TweetDeck’s advanced functionality would seem more enticing to heavier-users already familiar with the technology, rather than new tweeters jumping onboard.

More on TIME.com:

This Fridge Lets You Check Twitter

The Tweetbot iPhone App is Better Than Twitter’s App

Should Twitter Beware an UberMedia Rival?