In early March this year, Microsoft officially confirmed it would shut down Skype, allowing users to migrate their chat history and contacts to Teams before May 5, 2025. Now, Microsoft has finally ended Skype’s service. Users who haven’t yet migrated their data need not worry—the port will remain open until January 2026. Microsoft stated that this decision aligns with its strategy to streamline communication services and focus primarily on Teams.
Skype’s first public beta was launched in August 2003, allowing users to call from one PC to another—a revolutionary feature at the time. In the following years, Skype further developed, launching SkypeOut for traditional landline calls and introducing video chat. By the end of 2005, the number of registered users had soared to 40 million. Skype was then acquired by eBay, whose strategic vision was to integrate Skype into its online marketplace. By 2008, the number of registered users had exceeded 405 million.
However, eBay’s plans did not unfold as expected. Eventually, in 2009, it chose to sell Skype for $1.9 billion, citing a misjudgment of consumer demand for the service. At this stage, Skype began entering the mobile ecosystem, launching its first clients for iOS and Android in 2009. By 2010, the number of registered users had reached 660 million.
Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion, integrating it into Windows, Xbox, and Outlook services. With Microsoft’s strong promotion, Skype achieved a 40% share of the international calling market in 2014—its peak. In the following years, as various competitors emerged, Skype’s daily active users began to decline. Microsoft later launched Teams and devoted most of its resources to it, causing Skype to fade and gradually lose its market position.
In fact, Skype’s reputation began to decline after being acquired by Microsoft, mainly due to the introduction of ads within the app. Later, the proliferation of spam further drove Skype off the historical stage.
Source: Microsoft
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