It would seem Google wants a war on multiple fronts. Those who have tried that strategy in the past have generally lost.
The main differentiating factor in this case is their competitors are focused primarily on solving one problem, whereas Google is attempting to solve a multitude of problems in an attempt to win through convergence. That is to say, their solutions may not be as polished, but they are all in one place, presented to you in an accessible and convenient matter.
But that's not the point I tried to make. Based on the post, my opinion was that Google did not want to renew the deal with twitter (and vice versa) which is strange. They are at war already with everybody else (ms, apple, oracle, facebook) and don't need another enemy.
(Yes, my question indicates a very slight amount of bias!)
I used to do consulting for a company (LocatePLUS) that bought databases from different sources and then linked them. They sold this as a service to law enforcement and private investigators on a per query basis.
Also, unrelated to your reply but... while I understand how people might personally like Google (or Apple, or MS, or whatever), but business is just business, shouldn't be a religion or a sport. People should see beyond the "I like that company".
I definitely see Google as a business and know that circumstances can change with a change in management or operating environment; there is no way around that though. In my opinion we can either fight big companies and hope to have the government or other large companies keep them in check or we can try to help shape the environment and support companies that further our best interests.