Did Google just buy Twitter?

Google have announced recently that contrary to the timescale previously announced they would be bringing forward culling Google+ by four months, to April 2019.

For people outside of Google+ the reasons given for doing so might sound reasonable, but to the enthusiastic and active Google+ user base none of the reasons offered make any real sense.

It's pretty clear that upper management at Google have made uninformed decisions: but an uninformed position still does not make sunsetting Google+ logical or sensible. With Google's history of failing in social they'd be placing themselves in a position from which there could be no coming back.

Under what circumstances could killing Google's in-house social efforts make some sense

One scenario which springs to mind would be if Google have been in discussions to acquire Twitter.

Any announcement about buying Twitter would be quite difficult alongside the continued existence of their "failed" in-house social network, but a much easier proposition after the sunsetting of Google+.

This is pure speculation, and should it turn out to be true I would continue to suggest that it was an ill-informed decision, but I'm in no doubt that it would have been an easier public relations affair with Google+ already dead, buried and out of the way.

Might Google have reached an agreement to buy Twitter? I guess we'll see sometime after April 2019.

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