Why Twitter's CEO is in China
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.
So, why is Costolo there? The Journal guesses:
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China is usually ahead of the curve when forecasting technology trends, with a Tinder-like dating service dominating the market long before the app launched in America. Read the rest of the story at the Journal.
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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.
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