Maybe the revolution will no longer be Twitterized?
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, billionaire of Saudi Arabia, has bought a $300 million "strategic stake" in Twitter.
Twitter has differed from other tech companies in that they haven't been aiming for an IPO but sought, instead, cash infusions from private sources. But what were they thinking selling to a Saudi Prince? Plenty of investors would have ponied up for a stake in Twitter.
This feels tone deaf at the very least. With a little SNL news report darkly thrown in. Arab buys Twitter? No one in the Board Room gave this a thought? "Hey, how about that Arab Spring? What about Twitter on the frontline of history?"
And what about all the women in Saudi Arabia who might want to, say, organize a protest about not being able to drive, or leave the house without a male relative, or their lives in general?
Let's hope for the best. May this be the start of new openness in Saudi Arabia. But here's a cartoon, from Twitter, showing an Arab reaction:
http://twitter.com/...
News articles on the deal:
New York Times:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/...
NPR
http://www.npr.org/...