Mark Zuckerberg can let you know how he feels about Twitter in less than 140 characters.
According to "Hatching Twitter," a new book dissecting the history of the short-messaging site by the New York Times' Nick Bilton, Facebook's founder once told close friends that "[Twitter is] such a mess, it’s as if they drove a clown car into a gold mine and fell in." Although the comment is not given a specific date, the book notes that Zuckerberg made it "within the last three years." The comment was highlighted by venture capitalist Paul Kedrosky on Bloomberg TV last week.
Zuckerberg took the reported jab at Twitter after he was frustrated by the startup not taking one of his acquisition offers. Al Gore had also whiffed on buying the hot startup, despite being emboldened by "copious amounts" of wine and Patron tequlia, and of course, his deep pockets.
Twitter remained private until its initial public offering last week on the New York Stock Exchange, opening up at $26 per share. The IPO was the most anticipated since Facebook's in May 2012. Facebook's initial public rollout was rife with issues, and the company's stock only passed its $38 IPO price for the first time this past July. Meanwhile, Twitter closed at nearly $43 on Monday.
But will investing in Twitter make you rich? The answer is... probably not.