The NextWeb came across an interesting discussion on the social Q&A site Quora over the weekend. In answer to the question "Has PayPal approached Square and discussed an acquisition yet?" one of Square's employees, Steve DeWald, gave the prospect a big thumbs down.

"I don't think we would ever consider working with PayPal in any capacity," DeWald wrote. "Our cultures are too different and fundamentally incompatible. Square still has the mentality of a startup. Most of us genuinely believe that what we do matters. We have friends and family that are small and medium business owners, and we'd like to think that we're helping them compete in a marketplace that's increasingly hostile to them."

DeWald went on to say that PayPal represents part of the problem with payments that Square is looking to solve.

"They're just another card processor that doesn't care about their customers," DeWald said in his post.

Granted, DeWald, who gives his role at Square as strategic planning and analysis, prefaced his remarks by saying his opinion is simply that: his opinion, and not the opinion of Square, its management or its investors. 

That being said, DeWald demonstrates the sometimes feisty reputation Square has earned. From sparring with VeriFone last year over security (admittedly, VeriFone picked that one) to a recent tussle with mPowa over pictures used on the mPowa website, Square has engaged in some very public battles with competitors. Company COO Keith Rabois has been particularly outspoken in his opinions on competing technologies and companies.

In the end, DeWald's public comments on the future of Square and PayPal may mean little, but it adds to the general impression that Square and its people are true believers in their cause and don't shy away from a fight. 

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