Microsoft announced it will retire its iconic Skype platform on May 5 after two decades of reshaping global communication. The move comes as Teams becomes its top priority, signaling the end of a once-revolutionary era. Skype struggled to compete in a crowded market dominated by Zoom and Slack.
As of May 5, the two-decade-old internet calling service that revolutionized cross-border communication will be retired by its owner, Microsoft.
Microsoft said on Friday that by discontinuing Skype, it will be able to concentrate on its in-house Teams service and streamline its communication products.
Skype was founded in 2003 and had hundreds of millions of users at its peak due to its inexpensive audio and video chats. It swiftly disrupted the landline sector in the early 2000s. Zoom and Salesforce’s Slack are two of the platform’s more user-friendly and dependable competitors, and the platform has been struggling to compete in recent years.
One reason for the fall was that Skype’s core technology wasn’t mobile-friendly, Reuters shares.
In response to the pandemic and the rise of remote work, Microsoft actively integrated Teams with other Office products in an effort to attract corporate users, who had previously been a stronghold for Skype.
Users can easily migrate their chats and contacts to Teams, and they can log in for free on any compatible device using their existing credentials. This will make the transfer from the platform much easier.
That will make Skype the most recent high-flying gamble that Microsoft has bungled, joining the likes of Windows Phone and Internet Explorer. Google, like other large tech companies, has had trouble with its online communication capabilities, despite multiple attempts with apps like Duo and Hangouts.
The number of users or workers that would be affected by the change was unclear. An inquiry for the number went unanswered by Microsoft for some time.
In 2011, Microsoft outbid Google and Facebook to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion, its biggest acquisition to that point. At that time, the service had over 150 million monthly users; by 2020, that number had dropped to about 23 million, with a brief upturn during the pandemic.
“Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications,” Microsoft stated on Friday.
“We are honored to have been part of the journey.”
Luis Gochoco is a seasoned managing editor and writer with over a decade of experience covering politics, technology, gaming, and entertainment news. With a keen eye for breaking stories and in-depth analysis, he has established himself as a trusted voice in digital journalism. Luis is one of the key forces behind the success of GameNGuide, contributing to 12 million views through engaging and high-traffic content. He also played a pivotal role in generating 8 million views on International Business Times, shaping the platform’s technology and gaming coverage.
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