• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

Twitter Stock Jumps After Co-Founder Says It Should Consider Selling

By
Mathew Ingram
Mathew Ingram
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Mathew Ingram
Mathew Ingram
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 1, 2016, 9:54 AM ET
Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2015
Medium CEO Evan Williams at Fortune Brainstorm Tech. Aspen, Colo. July 14th, 2015.Kevin Moloney — Fortune Brainstorm TECH

Twitter’s share price spiked by almost 6% on Wednesday after co-founder and former CEO Evan Williams said the company should consider selling itself if an acquisition offer is made.

Williams, who left the company in 2010 and now runs a blog-hosting service called Medium, remains a board member at Twitter. In an interview with Bloomberg about the future of the company, Williams said that the board would have to “consider the right options” if an offer was received.

This is not the first time Williams has responded in such a way to acquisition rumors about Twitter (TWTR).

In effect, the former CEO is simply saying that it would be the board’s fiduciary duty to consider a reasonable acquisition offer if it gets one. But Williams added that he believes the company “is in a strong position now,” and that he has faith in CEO Jack Dorsey.

Regardless of whether his comments were routine boilerplate about fiduciary duty, they were apparently enough to boost some investors’ hopes about a potential acquisition of the company. The stock (TWTR) climbed by more than 6% at one point, adding almost a billion dollars to the company’s market value.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Twitter’s share price, which has fallen by more than 70% from its peak after the IPO, has seen a series of spikes over the past few months based primarily on takeover rumors.

In August, the shared jumped by almost 10% after a report that Saudi investor Prince Al Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al Saud (who owns 5% of the stock) was considering an acquisition of the company along with former Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer, who owns 4%.

Twitter shares have been under pressure because the company hasn’t been able to grow its user base as quickly as some investors would like, and a number of analysts believe it is losing ground to larger competitors such as Facebook (FB) when it comes to advertising.

About the Author
By Mathew Ingram
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.