No rumor: Facebook made failed bid for Twitter

After months of rumors and blogosphere speculation, Twitter Inc. co-founder Biz Stone Tuesday confirmed that Facebook Inc. had looked to buy his firm last fall.

Stone's confirmation comes after Peter Thiel, an early investor in Facebook and a member of its board of directors, told BusinessWeek magazine of the company's failed attempt to buy Twitter , a micro-blogging site that has taken social networking and the Internet as a whole by storm.

In an e-mail to Computerworld , Stone said that Facebook is looking to remain independent. "We're big fans of [Facebook CEO] Mark [Zuckerberg] and his team, but we feel very strongly that Twitter is just getting started. We're planning on building a strong, independent Twitter Inc.," he said.

Meanwhile Thiel told BusinessWeek that Facebook is still on the prowl for acquisitions. "We're still focusing on growing as much as possible," Thiel told the magazine.

Thiel declined a request for an interview with Computerworld .

Larry Yu, a spokesman for Facebook, Tuesday confirmed Thiel's comments, but declined to provide any details about last fall's negotiations. He also wouldn't say whether the company is still interested in buying the much-hyped Twitter .

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