Twitter will set up its German headquarters in Berlin, according to media reports. Unlike fellow Internet giants Google and Facebook, which have their German offices in Hamburg, Twitter has opted for Europe’s hottest digital scene.
And the company has already found someone to head up the new branch (see below for update) according to Focus magazine, which cited industry sources. A press spokesman and someone to manage the relationship with sports clubs are also being sought.
Twitter founder Jack Dorsey had announced at the DLD conference in January that a German branch would be set up in order to help grow the firm’s presence here. And his choice of Berlin – where he recently met with Chancellor Angela Merkel, and which also played host to the country’s first Twitter dev event – is a big boost to the German capital’s digital credentials.
Apple, Microsoft and Amazon all have their headquarters in the Munich area.
Twitter reportedly has 140 million active users who send 340 million tweets each day, but business in Germany is believed to be sluggish – hence the company’s eagerness to build a presence in one of Europe’s most important digital economies.
All that remains to be seen is whereabouts in Berlin the office will be set up – but don’t bet against a Mitte address.
UPDATE: The man who will lead Twitter in Germany is Rowan Barnett, currently head of community and social media at Bild.de and an old associate and former colleague of mine. Congrats Rowan!