Buried deep within Twitter’s S-1 filing last week — part of the process of preparing to go public — the micro-blogging service lists page after page of the kinds of business risks it faces that could undermine its success. It's kind of a pro forma exercise for companies getting ready to sell stock to investors on the open market: "You know, we're a great company, and we'd love to have you buy in, but just be aware that you could lose your shirt in this deal."
Here are a few of the more amusing risks that Twitter listed when it made its prospectus public last week:
Remember Webvan?: "A number of consumer-oriented websites that achieved early popularity have since seen their user bases or levels of engagement decline, in some cases precipitously. There is no guarantee that we will not experience a similar erosion of our user base or engagement levels."
Celebrities are fickle: "(I)nfluential users, such as world leaders, government officials, celebrities, athletes, journalists, sports teams, media outlets and brands or certain age demographics (may) conclude that an alternative product or service is more relevant."
Spiced ham: "(W)e are unable to combat spam or other hostile or inappropriate usage on our platform."