After 22 years of development, Skype, once a global leader in video communication, has officially announced the end of its service. Microsoft recently confirmed that Skype will be shut down on May 5, 2025, encouraging users to transition to its flagship communication platform, Microsoft Teams. This move allows Microsoft to focus its resources on driving the growth of Teams, aligning with the current demands of businesses and individuals for online collaboration and communication features.
Skype was founded as early as 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, initially gaining fame for offering free internet calling services. Thanks to its simple functionality, stable communication quality, and the scarcity of similar services at the time, Skype quickly garnered widespread popularity. Later, it enhanced its video calling and instant messaging features, gradually becoming one of the most popular video communication platforms worldwide. According to Washington Post’s report, Skype’s user base once exceeded 300 million at its peak.
In 2005, eBay acquired Skype for $2.6 billion, at a time when Skype already had approximately 54 million users. However, due to the impact of the financial crisis, eBay decided to let it go. Eventually, in 2011, Microsoft purchased Skype for $8.5 billion and integrated it into the Windows system, merging communication tools such as Windows Live Messenger and Lync into the Skype platform.
In 2016, Microsoft launched Microsoft Teams in response to Slack’s rapid rise in the workplace instant messaging market. Starting in 2018, Teams began offering a free version and gradually took over Skype’s role in internal communication and business applications. By the first quarter of 2024, the monthly active users of Teams had surpassed 320 million, significantly outpacing Skype’s former user base.
Facing competition from emerging communication platforms like Zoom, WhatsApp, and Slack, along with changes in user habits, Skype had approximately 40 million users at the beginning of 2020. However, by 2023, this number had dropped to 36 million. Microsoft announced that users will have the option to automatically migrate all conversation histories and contacts to Teams.
Jeff Teper, President of Collaborative Apps and Platforms at Microsoft, mentioned in a blog post that Skype has accompanied users worldwide in creating countless precious moments and has had a profound impact on the evolution of modern communication. Microsoft feels deeply honored to have been part of this journey.
Niklas Zennström, the co-founder of Skype, shared his thoughts on LinkedIn, emphasizing that the original mission of creating Skype was to break the monopoly on communication and bring the world closer together. He pointed out that, while the new generation today may not be aware of the exorbitant costs of long-distance calls in the past, the spirit of innovation inspired by Skype continues to thrive in the tech industry. He revealed that over 900 companies founded by former Skype employees remain active in Europe’s tech ecosystem, showcasing that Skype’s legacy continues to endure to this day.
Microsoft stated that existing Skype users can complete data migration or download for Teams through the official website. Users are reminded to complete the necessary arrangements before May 5.
