Skype will last ring on May 5th as owner Microsoft retires from its internet calling service two years ago and redefines the way people connect across borders.
By shutting down Skype, Microsoft will help you focus on Microsoft Teams Service by simplifying its communications delivery, the software giant said on Friday.
Founded in 2003, Skype's audio and video calls quickly disrupt the Line Line industry in the early 2000s, making it proud of the company, boasting hundreds of millions of users at its peak.
However, the platform has struggled to keep up with easy-to-use, more reliable rivals like Zoom and Salesforce's Slack in recent years.
This decline came as Skype's underlying technology was not suitable for the smartphone era.
When the pandemic and work from home promoted the need for online business calls, Microsoft was once the main base for Skype, actively integrating with other office apps.
To facilitate migration from the platform, the user can use their existing credentials to log in to their teams for free on supported devices when chats and contacts migrate automatically.
So Skype will be the latest bet in a series of high-flying bets that Microsoft has mishanded by mistake, such as the Internet Explorer web browser and its Windows Phone.
Other big tech companies have struggled with online communication tools, and Google has made several attempts through apps such as Hangouts and Duo.
Microsoft refused to share Skype's latest user figures and said job openings would not be cut due to the move.
He added that the team has around 320 million active users each month.
When Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011 after surpassing Google and Facebook (the biggest deal at the time), the service had around 150 million users per month. By 2020, despite a brief revival during the pandemic, that number had fallen to around 23 million.
“Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communication. We are honored to have been part of our journey,” Microsoft said on Friday.
