Microsoft is discontinuing its Skype service in May, the company announced on Friday. The tech giant intends to integrate a portion of Skype’s features into Microsoft Teams, its primary video-conferencing platform.
Founded in 2003 by engineers in Tallinn, Estonia, Skype emerged as a pioneering platform for internet-based telephone calls, effectively bypassing traditional landlines. Following its acquisition by online retailer eBay in 2005, Skype incorporated video calling capabilities. By 2011, when Microsoft acquired the service from eBay for $8.5 billion, Skype boasted approximately 170 million users globally. Then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer noted at the time, “The Skype brand has become a verb, nearly synonymous with video and voice communications.”
Microsoft has been steadily prioritizing Microsoft Teams over Skype for several years, and this decision reflects a wide-reaching shift in how people communicate online. Skype, once considered cutting-edge, was still in use as recently as 2017. The Trump administration used Skype for remote press briefings, illustrating its continuing use even as technology evolved.
Skype users will be able to use their existing accounts to log into Microsoft Teams.
