Twitter

Twitter closes massive funding round

Late last month, All Things D reported that Twitter's recent $800 million funding round was actually two funding rounds: A $400 million direct investment led by DST (already closed), and a $400 million secondary offering for existing Twitter shareholders (in process). Both were at a valuation in excess of $8 billion.

A source familiar with the situation tells me that the above breakdown is accurate, and that the secondary piece has MORE

Pre-Marketing: Twitter raising new money

* No Google, no problem: Twitter raising new money at a $7 billion valuation

* Brett Arends: 10 reasons why we're doomed to repeat 2008

* It's about time: Major U.S. banks appear to be finally opening the lending spigot

* Fostering innovation: 21 European VC firms agree on a standard term sheet for startups

* Morning Call: U.S. futures point lower, London opens soft, Brent crude passes $114 and the Nikkei hits post-quake high.

* MORE

Twitter co-founders discuss new venture

As Jessi Hempel reported earlier today, the Twitter founders have decided to get the band back together. Biz Stone, Ev Williams and Jason Goldman have launched Obvious Corp., a stealthy start-up that actually sounds a bit like the original Groupon plan (tech-enabled solutions "to help people work together to improve the world").

Obvious is not yet giving media interviews, but Stone and Williams did discuss the effort today at The Aspen MORE

Mayor Edwin Lee on San Fran's pension problem and keeping Twitter in town

Interview by Adam Lashinsky, senior editor at large

FORTUNE -- One of the problems San Francisco interim Mayor Edwin Lee inherited when he took over for now Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was the city's underfunded pension system (see: San Francisco's Pension Smackdown). Backed by billionaire venture capitalist Michael Moritz, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi has been pressing an independent initiative to require public employees to contribute more to their pension plans. Labor MORE

More cold water on Microsoft-Nokia 'deal'

Is Microsoft about to buy Nokia's mobile unit for $19 billion? No, according to a senior source familiar with the situation (not to mention public denials from Nokia CEO Stephen Elop and PR reps for both companies). On the other hand, maybe Microsoft should take a run at Twitter...

On Tuesday, a Russian tech blogger named Eldar Murtazin tweeted the following:

Murtazin has some credibility from past tweets about the Microsoft (MSFT) and Nokia (NOK) MORE

@jack is back @twitter

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey today confirmed rampant speculation that he is returning to the micro-messaging service. Not surprisingly, he did so via a tweet:

Today I'm thrilled to get back to work at @Twitter leading product as Executive Chairman. And yes: leading @Square forevermore as CEO. #200%

The executive chairman post is particularly notable for what it isn't: Chief executive, a role currently held by ex-Feedburner boss Dick Costolo. Some speculation had MORE

Google's former ad man joins Twitter

While we wait to find out if Jack Dorsey really is returning to Twitter full-time, here's some other personnel scoop from the micro-messaging juggernaut:

Satya Patel has quietly stepped down as a Silicon Valley-based partner with Battery Ventures, in order to join Twitter.

I don't yet know what his new job title is, but wouldn't be surprised if it has something to do with advertising (i.e., monetization). Prior to joining Battery in MORE

That Facebook comment from your broker? The SEC is reading it.

Investment firms without a strict policy about personal use of Twitter, blogs, Facebook and LinkedIn should beware. The feds may determine that social media use is the financial firms' responsibility.

By Moshe Silver, Hedgeye

You never know when something you write will resurface -- or in what context, or with what consequences. Amazingly, even after the damning emails have surfaced from nearly every major financial scandal in recent history, this bears repeating, MORE

Twitter didn't 'raise' capital, but JP Morgan still bought in

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone understands nuance. Reuters does not (at least not today).

The news giant (where I used to work) today has been hyping an exclusive interview with Stone, in which he says that Twitter has no IPO plans in the near future. Then there is this:

Asked about a Financial Times report last week that said a technology fund from JPMorgan was in talks to buy 10 percent of Twitter, MORE

J.P. Morgan's $400 million tweet?

Is J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM) trying to buy a 10% stake in Twitter at around a $4.5 billion valuation?

Those were the reports this past weekend, but TechCrunch chief Michael Arrington last night dismissed them as nonsense. Not because JPM doesn't want a big piece of Twitter, but because it already has a big piece of Twitter.

A source very close to the situation tells me that Arrington is on the money.

Here's how it apparently worked: MORE