As announced last week Twitter is setting up in Dublin. The first position is advertised today for the HR Business Partner.
Here is from the job announcement:
“We currently have an opening for an HR business partner. Here at Twitter, the goal of HR is to serve as a consultant across the organisation, to shepherd the core values and to protect the culture.”
“We help to foster relationships of trust, influence and change, when it is needed. Increasingly, we are championing best practice solutions before they are needed. And, very importantly, we provide great service to all of our employees. We spearhead solutions that promote healthy and productive professional lives for everyone at Twitter.”
Most of Irish media started speculation how “big” will Twitters presence be in Ireland? The comparisons and parallels with the recently set up companies have been drawn like the one most quoted from the IDA Ireland spokesman: “Facebook came to Dublin with plans to create 40 jobs and will employ 300 people at the end of this year. Google came here with plans to create 230 jobs and now employs 2,200.
What the IDA Spokesman forgot to mention is the number of staff LinkedIn has in Dublin. It is fairly small office, and there is no need to grow it further much really.
My prediction is that Twitters presence in Ireland will remain VERY small. There is no need for a large staff numbers . Nothing like Google 2,200 people really. Nothing like Facebook 200-something as well actually. Why is that?
Google has a long list of products that it supports and sells from the Dublin office. Do not forget that Google is the largest Advertising company in the world. We all know what Google AdWords is. Facebook is trying to do the same really. If you look at both of their average staff, it is all Account Management and similar sales positions. LinkedIn has ex recruiters selling recruitment packages.
What will Twitter sell you? Do you ever pay to Twitter? No. That is the truth today, and it could change once in the future. Up until then, Twitter doesn’t need the army of sales people as Google and other selling advertisements do. Twitter does not sell. Twitter does not support you much either, since you are not a paying customer. Twitter just show you that image of a whale being carried out by birds when the site goes down.
Or am I missing something?