PandoMonthly: "How much of a fuck-up was losing Instagram to Facebook?"

TL;DR

Twitter CEO discusses the missed opportunity of acquiring Instagram and the company's approach to acquisitions.

Transcript

let's talk a little bit about Acquisitions that you guys have done yeah I mean the big elephant in the room that we've now discussed at aano monthly with both Fred Wilson and Kevin sstr is how big of a [ __ ] was it that you guys didn't get Instagram how big of a [ __ ] was it yeah well I mean I don't know I don't think about it that way really yea... Read More

Key Insights

• 🎟️ Twitter does not dwell on missed acquisition opportunities and focuses on their own strategy.
• ❓ The CEO believes it is not healthy to constantly compare and imitate the actions of others in the industry.
• 🙈 The acquisition of Vine was seen as a successful move for Twitter's constrained publishing approach.
• 😚 Twitter did have conversations with Instagram but ultimately lost the opportunity to Facebook.

Questions & Answers

Q: Did Twitter regret not acquiring Instagram?

The CEO does not express regret over not acquiring Instagram. He believes it was not in the cards and did not work out, but does not see it as a failure of strategy.

Q: Was Twitter involved in the acquisition discussions with Instagram?

Twitter did have conversations with Instagram, but ultimately, Instagram was acquired by Facebook.

Q: Did Twitter's CEO feel pressured to acquire a video-sharing platform after Google bought YouTube?

The CEO recalls when other players in the space bought video-sharing platforms after Google acquired YouTube. However, he states that the strategy was not to imitate others' acquisitions but to find the next innovative approach to constrained publishing.

Q: How did Twitter decide to acquire Vine?

The CEO explains that Jack, the co-founder of Twitter, met the Vine team and recognized their innovative thinking about constrained publishing for video. Both Jack and the CEO agreed that acquiring Vine was the right move, leading to its successful integration into the Twitter platform.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Twitter CEO discusses the importance of not dwelling on missed opportunities and focusing on the company's own strategy.

• The CEO emphasizes that Twitter was always looking for the next innovative way of thinking about constrained publishing.

• The acquisition of Vine, a video-sharing platform with tight constraints, is highlighted as a successful acquisition for Twitter.