Amid an ongoing cost-cutting effort, Twitter has now refused to pay the bills to renew its multi-year contract with Google Cloud, Platformer has reported.
Weve all heard of the cloud but what does it have to do with Twitter? And more to the point, what will the consequences be for Twitter users if Google Cloud pulls the plug on the platform?
To put it simply, the cloud is an assembly of computing resources that are remotely accessible over the internet. These resources are leased out to internet-connected organisations so they dont have to buy and maintain their own.
In Twitters case, these resources include storage space for very large quantities of data, as well as a suite of programs that perform various operations on these data, as agreed upon in the contract. All of this takes place across a global network of physical servers.
Cloud computing is a convenient and cost-effective business model, which has gained much favour from enterprises large and small.
Currently, a handful of players dominate this market. In the lead is Amazon Web Services (AWS) which holds about 32% of the market. Amazon became the first cloud provider in 2006 and has since established a comfortable lead over its rivals, Microsoft Azure (23%) and Google Cloud (10%).
Reliability and scalability are perhaps the most important requirements a company will have of its cloud service provider. And when it comes to reliability, redundancy is key.
Redundancy means that if one data centre goes down, there are multiple others with duplicate data that can seamlessly step into service. And if the quantity of user data is high in one particular data centre, the extra load can be farmed out to another. In this way, peak traffic periods can be managed without loss of performance.
It seems Twitter is at loggerheads with its cloud provider, Google Cloud. The company is reportedly disputing its Google Cloud bill as it seeks to renegotiate its contract with Google.
The issue appears to be rooted in a disagreement over service quality and performance. Twitter doesnt think its getting value for money, and is withholding the latest payment in its US$1 billion contract with Google Cloud.
Under the contract, Google Cloud hosts many of Twitters trust and safety services. If the disagreement isnt resolved by the end of the month, and if Twitter severs ties with Google Cloud, this could seriously threaten its ability to fight spam, remove child sexual abuse material and generally protect accounts.
Google also currently allows Twitter users to sign up with their Google account. And Twitter profiles are highly ranked in Google searches, by virtue of Twitters close ties with Google. This favoured status could be in jeopardy if the two companies cant come to terms.
Apart from Google Cloud, Twitter also has a multi-year cloud computing contract with AWS to offer a host of functions. According to reports, it has also withheld payments from Amazon in the past and owed some US$70 million in bills as of March. Amazon responded by threatening to withhold payments for advertising it runs on the platform.
The dispute can perhaps be understood as yet another attempt by Twitter to radically reduce operating costs. Its a a trend that began late last year when Elon Musk acquired the company for US$44 billion.
Musk, who just appointed former NBC Universal advertising executive Linda Yaccarino as Twitter CEO, has implemented a suite of cost-cutting measures since the takeover among these, the firing of more than half of the companys 7,500 employees.
Looking at the big picture, we see Musk in the throes of trying to make Twitter a leaner, more efficient business.
At stake in this dispute are services that help keep Twitter free of malicious, dangerous and offensive content. Twitters battle against this content, as well as against spam and bots, has been ongoing. While its difficult to predict the outcome of the dispute with Google, its likely Twitter will take whatever course of action helps the company save money.
That could mean moving those services to a different provider, or retaining Google Clouds services but on more favourable terms. Another possibility (although less likely) is for Twitter to migrate those particular services in-house where it will have more control. But this would also require spending and human resources to manage the data.
In a worst-case scenario, Twitter may collapse or destabilise if certain elements within it go offline. Aside from Twitter trolls, this outcome would be in nobodys best interest. So its more likely Twitter and Google Cloud will find a mutually agreeable way forward.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Read more from the original source:
Elon Musk's Twitter is refusing to pay for Google Cloud: what could ... - Startup Daily
- 5 Questions Schools Should Ask Before Selecting a Cloud Security Platform - EdTech Magazine: Focus on K-12 - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- Marvell Extends Connectivity Leadership for Accelerated Computing With Two Cloud-Optimized PAM4 Optical DSPs - PR Newswire - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- Commission green lights state-aid partnership for cloud computing - Research Professional News - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- EU approves 1.2 billion to boost local cloud - Computing - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- How organizations can learn from cloud security breaches - TechTarget - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- EU provides 1.2 billion euros for European cloud computing project - Notebookcheck.net - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- Highlights from Gartner IT IOCS Conference 2023, Las Vegas - Gartner - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- The EU just launched a 1.2 billion cloud project to crack US dominance - ITPro - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- CoreWeave backed by Fidelity and Jane Street at $7 billion valuation as cloud provider bolsters status as one of AIs hottest startups - Fortune - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- Insurtechs using AI, ML and cloud computing. - Digital Insurance - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- Broadcom to divest VMware's end-user computing and Carbon Black units - The Register - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- Australia building 'top secret' cloud to catch up and link with US, UK intel orgs - The Register - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- CORRECTION-Nvidia in talks with Malaysia's YTL on data center deal- sources - Yahoo Eurosport UK - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- NCS announces strategic partnership with Google Cloud to accelerate digital transformation in Asia Pacific, ETCIO SEA - ETCIO South East Asia - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- McDonald's and Google Cloud Announce Strategic Partnership to Connect Latest Cloud Technology and Apply ... - PR Newswire - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- Computing Power Market Revenue to Total USD 81.3 Billion by 2032 | Growing Investments In Data Centers - GlobeNewswire - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- Aqua Security on how to navigate the Cloud's complexities - IT Brief Australia - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- NCS partners with Google Cloud in Australia and Singapore - Channel Asia Singapore - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- GigaIOs SuperNODE to Power TensorWave Deployment with AMD MI300X - High-Performance Computing News ... - insideHPC - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- This $500 device lets you easily build your own Cloud Server instead of paying Google, Microsoft, or Amazon - Yanko Design - December 8th, 2023 [December 8th, 2023]
- What's Going On With Alibaba Cloud? - The Motley Fool - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- China's Alibaba shakes up cloud unit management after scrapping the division's IPO - CNBC - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Five things to look for at AWS re:Invent 2023 - SiliconANGLE News - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Broadcom completes its $61 billion acquisition of VMware - Times of India - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- On the Rise: The Top 3 Cloud Computing Stocks to Watch - Nasdaq - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- What You Need to Know About Hybrid Cloud Computing - What You ... - InformationWeek - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Microsoft to invest $500 million to expand hyperscale cloud computing and AI in Quebec - MarketWatch - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Service Included, FinOps Foundation Counts Cost Of Cloud - Forbes - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Microsoft Unveils Azure Custom Chips: Revolutionizing Cloud Computing and AI Capabilities - MarkTechPost - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Why 2023 Became the Year of Next-Level Technology Value - Medium - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Edge vs Cloud or Edge plus Cloud: What is the way forward? - Express Computer - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- eSurfing Cloud Launches the WisHub One-Stop Intelligent ... - PR Newswire - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Predictive Maintenance (PdM) Market to grow by USD 16.57 billion growth between 2022 - 2027 | Growth Driven by Increased adoption of advanced... - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Udemy Partners with Google Cloud as Inaugural Member of its New ... - AiThority - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- AWS and DXC Technology Strengthen Alliance for Cutting-Edge ... - Read IT Quik - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Windows-as-an-app is coming - Computerworld - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- 2 Soaring Stocks I'd Buy Now With No Hesitation - The Motley Fool - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- ZTE holds Core Network User Congress in Thailand, driving digital ... - ZTE - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Mercedes F1 accelerates AI adoption in off-track IT transformation ... - ITPro - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Amazon wants to train millions of people in basic AI skills - TechRadar - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- US grid rules preclude reliability, security benefits of cloud ... - Utility Dive - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Udemy Partners with Google Cloud as Inaugural Member of its New Cloud Endorsed Content Program - Yahoo Finance - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Google Cloud certifications nab highest-paying IT jobs - InfoWorld - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Nearly a quarter of businesses are losing more than 100,000 a ... - CloudTech News - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Cloud Security Alliance announces new zero-trust security credential - CSO Online - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Cloud Computing Market size to reach USD 2,495.2 billion by 2032 according to a new research report - WhaTech Technology and Markets News - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Vultr and Rescale Advance High-Performance Computing to Accelerate Engineering Innovation Worldwide - Yahoo Finance - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Cloudsky Showcases Breakthroughs in Cloud Computing at 2023 ... - PR Newswire - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Edenor reduces outages using cloud computing technology - Utility Week - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Software Growth Stocks: Consumption-Based Pricing Back In The ... - Investor's Business Daily - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- High Availability Server Market to Cross USD 27.30 Billion in 2030 Driven by Rising Dependence on Digital Infrastructure and Surge in Cloud Computing... - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Micro Data Centers Market to Reach US$ 33.4 Billion by 2030, Driven by Growing Demand for Edge Computing and Cloud-Based Applications | According to... - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- The 10 Coolest AI Tools And GenAI Products Of 2023 - CRN - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Civo CEO on free credits, egress fees, and hauling it all back on-prem - The Register - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Tech Headlines of the Week: Data Breaches, Microsoft's AI ... - Techopedia - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Vultr Announces Addition of NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper ... - Business Wire - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Proposed Rules Overhaul Cybersecurity Requirements for ... - JD Supra - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- The #CloudExit Movement And What It Means For Amazon Stock ... - Seeking Alpha - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Nasdaq Completes Migration of Third US Market to AWS - Markets Media - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- CSIT and Google Cloud partner to pilot sovereign cloud solution in ... - ETCIO South East Asia - November 17th, 2023 [November 17th, 2023]
- Qualcomm Cloud AI 100 Now Available in the Cirrascale AI ... - HPCwire - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- ZTE and Computer Union join forces on cutting-edge IT solutions in ... - ZTE - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- VAI Resort Taps Oracle Cloud to Deliver Rock-Star Guest Experiences - Oracle - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Oracle Helps Healthcare Organizations Improve Inventory ... - Oracle - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Paraverse Technology Releases Groundbreaking White Paper on Decentralized Operations and Trading Platforms for 3D Digital Assets - Yahoo Finance - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- How to Leverage New Age Cloud Technologies for Business - Analytics Insight - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Cloud to help realise smarter AI-powered digital twins - FutureIoT - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- NTT Beats New Drum To Bring Photonics-Powered AI To Industry - Forbes - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Gartner: Modernising legacy applications for cloud-native success - ComputerWeekly.com - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Alibaba Cloud and United Women Singapore launch digital female ... - ETCIO South East Asia - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- KBZ Bank Digitizes for Innovation and Scale with Oracle - Oracle - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Southeast Asia's digital battle: Chinese and U.S. Big Tech face off ... - Nikkei Asia - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Vietnam Cloud Based Infrastructure as a Service Markets, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2028F: Government Initiatives and Increasing... - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Cloud to drive surge in European IT spending next year - ITPro - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Oak View Group Partners with Oracle to Supercharge Fan ... - Oracle - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Momentus Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results - Daily Host News - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Community and Critical Access Hospitals Select Oracle Health ... - Oracle - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- AiAdvertising Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results - Daily Host News - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- GIC chief says investors should prefer Big Tech to start-ups on AI - Financial Times - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- Daniel Seybold, Author at The New Stack - The New Stack - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]