By Todd Russell
In 2003, Skype was all the rage. Call people from your computer. Game with friends on a phone. I had an 800 number through Skype at one time and integrated with an early online talk radio show.
The one constant about technology is that it shifts and changes. Acquisitions are often one-sided, in favor of those being acquired, and those that invested early. Often the bigger fish swallowing the smaller one does not do as well with the acquired. We don’t need to run down just how many different acquisitions this applies to, but the history is there.
Was Skype ultimately a successful acquisition?
eBay bought it for $2.5 billion in 2005, then written down as a bit of a loss and sold off to investors that would sell to Microsoft for $8.5 billion in 2011. And now it’s being shuttered by Microsoft in May 2025.
“Speaking to CNBC, Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft 360 collaborative apps and platforms, said the company had “learned a lot from Skype over the years. … But we felt like now is the time because we can be simpler for the market, for our customer base, and we can deliver more innovation faster just by being focused on Teams.” Microsoft will end once-popular Skype in May : NPR
Skype was never very useful for gaming compared to Discord. It’s more useful for game streamers that want to call others on cell phones and landlines directly. But if you want to connect with gaming friends online, why call them on their phone? They can just use the Discord app and talk with you that way. So, in a way, Skype is just another VOIP option with more convenience in calling options, but that’s about it.
In Discord vs. Skype For Gaming [2025 Guide] – GamingScan there is a feature matrix comparing the two services and it becomes even more obvious why Skype just doesn’t measure up, unfortunately.
I’m going to miss Skype. Despite not using it for years and not really seeing any way that would make sense for me to use it these days, it’s sad seeing old friends go. What about you? Will you miss Skype? Did you use Skype up until the end? Sound off in the comments.