Microsoft Shuts Down Skype
After over 20 years, the once-popular video call service Skype shut down on May 5.
Microsoft, the company’s owner, encouraged Skype users to switch to Teams, its messaging software when it announced the change in February.
“As we say goodbye to Skype, we want to thank our incredible community. Over the years, you’ve connected with family, friends, and colleagues across the world,” the Skype team said in a post on the service’s official X page on Monday.
“This isn’t the end – it’s a new beginning. Join us on Microsoft Teams Free and continue making great memories.”
Beginning on Tuesday, the service will no longer be accessible.
In 2003, Niklas Zennström from Sweden and Janus Friis from Denmark launched Skype in Luxembourg. For the first time, the service enabled a large audience to make free video and phone calls via the Internet.
Because it enabled users to escape the exorbitant telephone expenses that had been unavoidable up to that point, it was especially well-liked for international communication.
At its height, it had hundreds of millions of monthly users worldwide. According to the Similarweb data service, the monthly user count has decreased to about 30 million since then.
In addition to calling other Skype users, users can also call landlines and mobile numbers. This feature requires a Skype membership or credit.
Microsoft purchased the video call service in 2011 for US$8.5 billion and included it in its suite of products, which also includes Office and Windows.
Skype has fallen behind rivals like Zoom and WhatsApp despite this integration.
However, since its 2017 launch, Microsoft Teams has emerged as a major player in corporate communications and one of the top suppliers of collaboration software.
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