Google and Twitter are joining the growing group of tech companies looking to optimize publishers’ content for mobile devices. This fall, the two companies are planning an launching an open-source product that’s similar to Facebook’s Instant Articles, Recode’s Peter Kafka and Mark Bergen reported Friday:
The idea, according to multiple sources, is that Twitter users or Google search users who click on a link while using their phones will see full articles pop up on their screens almost immediately, instead of having to wait several seconds.
One big difference between those efforts and this one: Google and Twitter are creating their publishing tools as an open source project, and hope to convince multiple tech companies to adopt it.
Another key difference between the new Google/Twitter project and Facebook’s Instant Articles, Snapchat Discover, and the forthcoming Apple News is that the stories will be hosted as cached webpages rather than directly in the app. It’s not clear how advertising will be handled.
Ultimately, the move by Google and Twitter can be seen as a way to fight back against the power that platforms such as Facebook and Apple have gained among mobile users.
@MikeIsaac hence the Google/Twitter "hey it's open source it's good for everyone brah peace out and pass the bong" pitch
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) September 11, 2015
@MikeIsaac and in this one goog has a MAJOR stake because they need www to continue and thrive in mobile and this is a smart way to do it
— prince ian (@iano) September 11, 2015
“The world needs an answer to proprietary instant articles, and Twitter and Google could provide it,” a source told Recode.