Overview

• Skype, founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, was a trailblazer in peer-to-peer Internet calling, enabling free global communication.
• At its peak, Skype served over 660 million users and handled 40% of international calls, becoming synonymous with video and voice communication.
• Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion but faced challenges integrating it into its ecosystem, leading to its gradual decline in favor of Teams.
• As of May 5, 2025, Skype services have been terminated, and users must manually export their data or migrate to Microsoft Teams to retain chat histories and files.
• Microsoft Teams, now with 320 million users, offers a unified platform for communication and collaboration, filling the gap left by Skype's closure.