Photo via Flickr/JDLasica.
Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey. (Photo via Flickr/JDLasica).

It’s no secret that Twitter is struggling. The company continues to post losses each quarter and new user adoption is stagnating. Independence has been historically been an important part of Twitter’s ethos but acquisition rumors are surfacing as a potential solution to the company’s woes.

Related: Twitter at 10: Jack Dorsey speaks out about augmenting reality, shifting priorities, and facing challenges

Twitter’s board members will discuss the possibility selling at a meeting Thursday, according to a report from Recode. But Twitter’s baggage and hefty price tag may make it a tough sell. Recode estimates that a buyer would be on the line for about $18 billion, based on the same metrics as Microsoft’s $26 billion LinkedIn acquisition.

Cutting staff or spinning out Twitter products, like Vine, could help the company reduce costs and appear more attractive to a buyer, Recode says. The report also explores other possibilities besides a sale, like an ownership shakeup via stock purchases.

More than a year ago, co-founder Jack Dorsey returned to serve as interim CEO for Twitter, promising to turn things around. But Dorsey, who also serves as CEO of mobile payment company Square, hasn’t had a meaningful impact on Twitter’s bottom line.

Still, access to Twitter’s user base of 320 million monthly active users may be attractive enough to the right buyer.

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