By Abiola Olawale
Microsoft has announced its intention to shut down Skype, an online voice and video call pioneer that the tech titan acquired in 2011.
Microsoft revealed that features on Skype are no longer as relevant in today’s communication landscape, where mobile data plans are less expensive.
“Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available,” said a post from Skype support on X.
The New Diplomat reports that Skype was launched in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, built on peer-to-peer technology that allowed users to make free voice and video calls over the internet.
At the time, this was revolutionary. Long-distance calls were expensive, and traditional phone companies dominated the communication market. Skype disrupted that model by offering a free, simple alternative that worked across borders as long as you had an internet connection.
By 2006, Skype had amassed over 100 million registered users, and its name became synonymous with video calling.
In 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion, outbidding competitors like Google and Facebook. This was Microsoft’s largest acquisition at the time and came with high expectations. Skype had around 170 million monthly active users, and Microsoft saw it as a way to bolster its consumer and enterprise communication offerings.
