Skype will make its final call on May 5 as Microsoft, the owner, phases out the twenty-year-old internet calling service that revolutionized how individuals connect globally.
The discontinuation of Skype will enable Microsoft to concentrate on its in-house Teams service by streamlining its communication solutions, as stated by the tech behemoth.
Established in 2003, Skype’s audio and video calls swiftly revolutionized the traditional phone industry in the early 2000s, propelling the brand to prominence with millions of users at its zenith.
Nevertheless, the platform struggled to compete with more user-friendly and dependable opponents like Zoom and Salesforce’s Slack in recent times.
This decline was partly due to Skype’s technology not being optimized for the smartphone era.
During the pandemic when remote work surged, Microsoft pushed for Teams by closely integrating it with other Office applications to entice corporate users — a segment that was once dominated by Skype.
To facilitate the transition from Skype, users will have the opportunity to access Teams for free on compatible devices using their existing credentials, with conversations and contacts transferring automatically.
Consequently, Skype will join a list of ambitious ventures that Microsoft has mishandled, such as Internet Explorer and Windows Phone.
Various other prominent tech firms faced challenges with online communication tools, evidenced by Google’s endeavors with apps like Hangouts and Duo.
Microsoft opted not to disclose the most recent user statistics for Skype and assured that no job cuts would result from this decision. The company also mentioned that Teams presently serves about 320 million monthly active users.
When Microsoft acquired Skype for US$8.5 billion ($13.7 billion) in 2011, surpassing bids from Google and Facebook in its biggest deal at the time, the service had roughly 150 million monthly users. By 2020, this figure had dropped to around 23 million, notwithstanding a brief resurgence during the pandemic.
Microsoft expressed that “Skype played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary communications”.
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