--- title: "Thursday Buzz: How Twitter Solved Its Revenue Problem" id: "27142" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-how-twitter-solved-its-revenue-problem" published_at: "2015-02-05T20:39:39+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T13:29:09+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/02/05/thursday-buzz-how-twitter-solved-its-revenue-problem/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/02/05/thursday-buzz-how-twitter-solved-its-revenue-problem.md" excerpt: "Sometimes the solution to a revenue problem might seem obvious to you—but not so obvious to the outside world. Case in point? Twitter. Also: As John Boehner’s successful effort to get Pope Francis to speak to Congress proves, it never..." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "revenue models" - "Social Media" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: How Twitter Solved Its Revenue Problem *“I always joked that the press reported as if we were looking for a business model that we lost somewhere. Maybe it’s under the couch. Where is the business model? But no one has ever built a consumer internet thing that reached scale that they couldn’t earn money on.”* Twitter cofounder Evan Williams, the source of the quote [above (opens in a new tab)](https://medium.com/backchannel/how-twitter-found-its-money-mojo-1d170e3df985) , is looking pretty smart these days. In the wake of the social network’s breakout success, a common refrain among business analysts was that the company was likely to reach a Facebook-level scale, but only if it could figure out how to make money. As it turns out, Twitter has had the opposite problem. It’s a company that can make a billion dollars in revenue but has yet to amass the same number of users as Facebook. (In fact, LinkedIn, Google+, and Instagram [are also larger than Twitter (opens in a new tab)](http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/largest-social-networks-worldwide/504044) —though Twitter probably has more active users [than Google’s social network](http://associationsnow.com/2014/04/google-social-network-shakeup/) .) So while Wall Street may be freaking out that Twitter [isn’t seeing the growth it promised (opens in a new tab)](http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/05/twitter-earnings-preview/22899473/) , the issue isn’t revenue. Medium’s tech section, *BackChannel*, [breaks down the company’s fiscal evolution (opens in a new tab)](https://medium.com/backchannel/how-twitter-found-its-money-mojo-1d170e3df985) . It’s a good reminder that a revenue model might be right under your nose, even if it doesn’t seem obvious to the outside world at first. (It’s worth noting that Williams is the CEO of Medium.) ### Speaker Announcement of the Day > It’s a privilege to have His Holiness Pope Francis here in Sept. It will be a historic visit. [http://t.co/2cjyj9FlqN (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/2cjyj9FlqN) > [@Pontifex (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Pontifex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) [February 5, 2015 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/SpeakerBoehner/status/563377121398386688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **It’s not every day that a pope addresses** Congress—in fact, it’s never happened before—but that’s about to change. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced this week that Pope Francis has agreed to speak to a joint session of Congress on September 24. “In a time of global upheaval, the Holy Father’s message of compassion and human dignity has moved people of all faiths and backgrounds,“ [Boehner said in a news release (opens in a new tab)](http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/pope-francis-address-joint-meeting-congress) . “His teachings, prayers, and very example bring us back to the blessings of simple things and our obligations to one another. We look forward to warmly welcoming Pope Francis to our Capitol and hearing his address on behalf of the American people.” Boehner [sent an invitation to the pontiff (opens in a new tab)](http://www.speaker.gov/sites/speaker.house.gov/files/UploadedFiles/3-13-14%20Speaker%20Invitation%20to%20Pope%20Francis%20-%20Joint%20Meeting.pdf) [PDF] last year. It was something of a tough gambit, but Boehner pulled it off. The lesson for associations? When it comes to trying to nab a great speaker, don’t be afraid to aim high. You never know whom you might get. ### Other Links of Note **Stink at making graphics?** Communication expert Kerri Karvetski gets it—she’s in the same boat, but [her roundup of tools on Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2015/02/04/confession-i-stink-at-making-graphics-these-tools-make-me-look-like-a-genius/) is bound to make anyone look more visually adept. **If video is freaking you out,** this roundup of tips from *CMSWire* [should help you get going (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cmswire.com/cms/information-management/overcoming-old-fears-about-live-video-027947.php?utm_source=MainRSSFeed&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=RSS-News) . **We don’t usually get to write the phrase** “productivity tips from an astronaut,” but *Lifehacker* shows that [there’s a first time for everything (opens in a new tab)](http://lifehacker.com/im-astronaut-ron-garan-and-this-is-how-i-work-1683526991) . Twitter co-founder Evan Williams. (photo by Christopher Michel/Flickr) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#revenue models](https://associationsnow.com/tag/revenue-models/) [#Social Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/social-media/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: More Than Marketing: The Power of Strategic CommunicationsJuly 30, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/30/associations-now-presents-more-than-marketing-the-power-of-strategic-communications/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Why Slower Marketing Can Drive Stronger Member Engagement (Episode 27)June 25, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/25/associations-now-presents-why-slower-marketing-can-drive-stronger-member-engagement-episode-27/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F02%2F05%2Fthursday-buzz-how-twitter-solved-its-revenue-problem%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !