Microsoft leaves Skype in May, calling people to adopt commands

Skype shuts off.

On Friday, Microsoft announced that the 21-year-old telephone service will close on May 5. The software company calls on Skype users to go into its free command app.

Skype in the 2000s in the 2000s for giving people a way to talk without paying a telephone company, but came across a mobile era and did not enjoy a serious revival during a pandemic. Some people have forgotten that it is still available, given many other chat options and calls.

“For many years we have learned a lot with Skype, which we have invested in teams when we have developed teams over the last seven -hour years,” Jeff Ter, president of the joint apps and platforms Microsoft 365 said in an interview with CNBC. Focusing on the team. “

Over the next few days Microsoft will start allowing people to log into teams with Skype credentials and Skype contacts And the chats will be transmitted, according to a blog report. People can also export their Skype details. The company will stop selling monthly Skype subscriptions, and loans can continue to use them in teams.

“It is obviously a great, great moment for us, and we are definitely grateful,” Taper said. “Skype pioneer audio and video calls online for many, many people.”

This is one of the most durable digital brands.

In 2003, Janus Fris and Nicklas Zenter, who previously co -founded the Kazaa file sharing program, launched Skype in Estonia with a group of former classmates with zero experience in telecommunications. Initially, Skype was a tool for people to call each other online for free. The bizarre name advocated “Sky Peer to Peer”, a link to the main voice of the service via Internet protocol, or VoIP, architecture.

Skype quickly caught. By 2004, there were 11 million registered users. By the time Fuck declared a Plan the purchase Skype Technologies SA for $ 2.6 billion in 2005, the number of users reached $ 54 million, and Skype expected $ 60 million, thanks to payments from those who wished to call mobile phones and hospital.

Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay at the time, stipulated that Skype would help people more quickly fill the sale of products, especially expensive, connecting buyers and sellers. And eBay can charge an additional fee for such calls. Skype users around the world could detect eBay and Enhancementtoo. The transaction was completed in 29 days.

As part of the eBay, the Skype user’s number grew, crossing 405 million by 2008, and communications revenue increased. But then Whitman left the post of CEO, giving way to former Bean Donaho leader, who did not think that the main business ebay took advantage of the Skype deal.

In 2009, the economy was in recession, the growth of eBay sales became negative, and the stock price has been lower than since 2001. statement This advertised the Skype application for Apple’s IPhone, Donahoe announced that eBay will launch the Skype’s initial public offer as part of the section.

But eBay never applied for IPO Skype. Four and a half months after announcement of IPO -strategy eBay said it was reached the agreement To sell Skype an investor group led by a $ 2.75 billion agreement. The Internet Operator received 30% of the Skype buyer’s stock. According to the investor group, Skype has applied for IPO, but it also did not pass. Microsoft is over acquisition of Skype In 2011, $ 8.5 billion, and Ebay received more than $ 2 billion.

“Microsoft and Skype will gather hundreds of millions together, or, as Tony said, billions of consumers and enable them to communicate with new and interesting ways,” said Microsoft, Steve Balmer at the time, at the time Press -conferenceReferring to the comments earlier at the event from Skype leader Tony Bates. By this point, 170 million people used Skype each month. Ballmer sought to integrate Skype with multiple Microsoft products, including Lync, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Phone and Xbox Consoals. Microsoft also received Skype on its Azure Cloud Infrastructure.

However, Skype failed to accumulate a billion active users.

Apple’s Native Imessage and Facetime collected craving on iOS devices. In 2014, Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook. Bought WhatsApp, Mobile Message app, and a few months later users were given the opportunity to place calls across the border. WhatsApp flew globally. So did the WeChat Tencent.

Skype, meanwhile, implemented several upgrades and encountered criticism from devoted. In 2016 Microsoft submitted the teams As a clear “chat -based work space” for organizations with the Software Office Productivity, which will compete with Slack, which was then a new startup.

When Covid came and pushed people to work and study at home, ZoomOriginally conceived for business use, became Consumer favorite For a video. People could also connect to the video through services CiscoFacebook and Google. Skype really saw Bump, but Microsoft put large engineering resources for teams for companies, governments and schools, and the investment paid off. Analysts began to concentrate on the number of team users that Microsoft disclosed, the figure exceeds 320 million in 2023.

As for Skype, the current Microsoft CEO, Satya NadelHe did not mention this to the call for profit since 2017.

In 2023 Microsoft said 36 million Daily active users. This decreased from 40 million in March 2020. Taper refused to talk about how many people used the service today, but said the number of minutes the consumers spent on the teams have increased four times over the past two years.

“I think a good writing of a story that means transition to mobile and cloud as a significant change in the category,” said Taper.