After more than two decades of linking people across countries, Skype, long the gold standard of internet video chatting, has officially ended. Microsoft will discontinue the famous program on May 5, 2025, ushering in a new era of global communication.
A Brief History of Skype
Skype, founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, was a game-changing platform that exposed the masses to free audio and video chats via the internet. Skype provided a game-changing alternative to pricey international phone calls and SMS-based communication.
The service rapidly grew in popularity. By the early 2010s, Skype was a household name, with over 300 million users worldwide. It was utilized for a variety of purposes, including checking up with relatives throughout the world and holding international business meetings.
Ownership Timeline
Skype’s journey through corporate hands is as notable as its rise:
- 2005: Acquired by eBay for $2.6 billion.
- 2009: eBay sold majority control to a group of investors.
- 2011: Purchased by Microsoft, who integrated it into its suite of productivity tools.
The Decline
Despite its initial success, Skype struggled to keep up with new competitors. By 2020, it had a respectable 40 million members, but competing platforms like as Zoom, WhatsApp, and Slack had begun to dominate the industry with sleeker designs and improved mobile connectivity.
By 2023, Skype’s monthly user count had dropped to 36 million, indicating a change in user preferences and working patterns, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Microsoft Pulls the Plug
In February 2025, Microsoft officially announced that Skype would be discontinued on May 5, encouraging users to switch to the free version of Microsoft Teams. The company emphasized that all Skype contacts and chats could be automatically migrated to Teams for a seamless transition.
“Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications and supporting countless meaningful moments,” said Jeff Teper, Microsoft’s President of Collaborative Apps and Platforms.
What’s Next?
While Skype’s demise may be nostalgic or bittersweet for long-time users, its legacy lives on in the capabilities and standards that we now take for granted on platforms such as Teams, Zoom, and more. For customers who still have outdated Skype accounts, now is the moment to back up their data and embrace newer solutions that are better suited to today’s connected environment.
Lenovo India
SentryPC
Matrinic Audio
*This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, Doer Digitalz FZE may earn a commission