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“That’s interesting,” I thought to myself.
“I wonder if that’s for real and how they did it.”
Minutes later, I found myself in a rabbit hole.
Here’s what I uncovered.
Context
On February 28, Microsoft announced the winding down of Skype.
That wasn’t the first time Skype was acquired.
According to Microsoft:
“Founded in 2003, Skype was acquired by eBay in September 2005, and then acquired by an investment group led by Silver Lake in November 2009.”
Over a decade later, they decided that it’s time to retire it.
According to Jeff Teper, Microsoft’s president of collaborative apps and platforms, the move allows Microsoft to “more easily adapt to customer needs” and deliver innovation more rapidly by concentrating development on Teams.
Microsoft’s decision to retire Skype is part of a broader strategy to streamline its consumer communication services and focus on Microsoft Teams, which has become the company’s flagship platform for messaging, video calls, and collaboration.
Put simply: Microsoft Teams is a priority. Skype is not.
And in case you’re confused, here’s a quick timeline:
