Why Twitter's CEO is in China

Flickr CC By: Gerald R. Ford School

Why Twitter's CEO is in China
(Image credit: Flickr CC By: Gerald R. Ford School)

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo is spending a few days in China, but that doesn't mean he's putting out feelers for a possible launch of the social network there — he swears. Twitter told the Wall Street Journal that Costolo is there to "learn more about Chinese culture and the country's thriving technology sector," with a packed itinerary filled with university tours and government meetings.

Twitter reiterated that it has "no plans to change anything about our service in order to enter the market" where it has been blocked since 2009. The tightly controlled country restricts what people can access online, and social networks have to comply with the Chinese government's demands. Twitter said it has no plans to do that.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.