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.
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Instead of trying to get Twitter into China, Mr. Costolo may simply be seeking to understand the world's largest and most isolated internet market. Though many products on China's internet remain copies of products coming out in the U.S., intense local competition and specific demands of local users are slowly leading Chinese companies to push in directions not anticipated by Silicon Valley. [Wall Street Journal]
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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