Microsoft Pulling the Plug on Skype

Almost a quarter-century after "kickstarting the market for making calls over the internet," Skype is dropping like one of its early video calls, per TechCrunch. The phone and video service, started in 2003, will be ended May 5, according to a Friday statement from Microsoft, which bought Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011, per CNN. The company is now far more invested in its Teams app, which allows audio and video calls, virtual meetings, file sharing, and community building. Skype once counted some 300 million users. But Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Apple's FaceTime, and other apps have drawn many away. As of 2023, Skype counted around 36 million users, per TechCrunch.

"We know this is a big deal for our Skype users, and we're very grateful for their support of Skype and all the learnings that have factored into Teams over the last seven years," Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft 365 collaborative apps and platforms, tells the outlet. "At this point, putting all our focus behind Teams will let us give a simpler message and drive faster innovation." Over the next 10 weeks, users can choose to download their Skype data or transfer it to Teams, where they'll benefit from "enhanced features," Microsoft says. "Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications ... and we are honored to have been part of the journey." (More Skype stories.)