
1st March 2025
Microsoft has announced that Skype will officially be retired on May 5, 2025. This decision is part of their plan to focus on Microsoft Teams, which has become their flagship communication platform. Skype users will have the option to transition to Teams, where they can continue to access similar features like messaging, calls, and file sharing.
Skype was launched in 2003 by Niklas Zennström, Janus Friis, and a team of Estonian developers. It revolutionized communication by allowing free voice and video calls over the internet. Initially, Skype gained immense popularity for its peer-to-peer technology, which made it scalable and efficient.
Over the years, Skype changed hands multiple times. In 2005, eBay acquired it for $2.6 billion but later sold a majority stake to private investors in 2009. Finally, in 2011, Microsoft purchased Skype for a whopping $8.5 billion, integrating it into its ecosystem and replacing Windows Live Messenger.
Skype's journey has been remarkable, but its popularity waned with the rise of competitors like Zoom and WhatsApp. Microsoft has now decided to retire Skype in May 2025, focusing on Microsoft Teams as its primary communication platform.