Twitter bidders vying for social-media firm's data

San Francisco

SALESFORCE.COM Inc and other companies eyeing Twitter Inc may pay more than US$16 billion to get their hands on the social-media company's valuable data. But they'll also inherit challenges, including management turmoil, lacklustre growth and an unsolved identity crisis.

While it remains a destination for conversation among influential people, Twitter would be tough to digest. Chief executive officer and co-founder Jack Dorsey has another CEO job at Square Inc and may not come along with an acquisition. The company put him in charge last year, after an extensive search that sparked executive departures. More strategic changes could mean more valuable employees leaving. Twitter's product team has gone through at least five heads in six years.