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Skype, the online phone and video service that was the most popular way to remain in touch in the mid 2000s, is being shut down by Microsoft. Skype announced in a post on X stating, “Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available. Over the coming days you can sign in to Microsoft Teams Free with your Skype account to stay connected with all your chats and contacts.”
Skype will be shut down 14 years after Microsoft paid $8.5 billion for the service, which at the time was the company’s largest acquisition. It was soon integrated into other Microsoft products, including Microsoft Office and its failed mobile operating system, Windows Phone. Jeff Teper, the president of Microsoft 365 collaborative apps and platforms also made a blog post stating,
“Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications and supporting countless meaningful moments, and we are honored to have been part of the journey. We’re excited about the new opportunities that Teams bring and are committed to helping you stay connected in new and meaningful ways.”
“With Teams, users have access to many of the same core features they use in Skype, such as one-on-one calls and group calls, messaging, and file sharing. Additionally, Teams offers enhanced features like hosting meetings, managing calendars, and building and joining communities for free. As we take this next step with Teams, we’re excited about the opportunities ahead. We look forward to continuing to support people’s everyday connections, starting by making it easy to log into Teams with their Skype account.”
Recounting Skype’s Notable Antecedent
Skype was founded in 2003 and quickly became a household name. It had hundreds of millions of users at its height and notably upended the telecommunications establishment in the early 2000s with its audio and video calls. Prior to the rise of FaceTime, Zoom, and Google Hangouts, Skype was the undisputed leader in online video communication.
Skype was so popular in the early days of digital technology that it was used as a verb. However, the platform has had trouble keeping up with more dependable and user-friendly competitors like Zoom, Apple FaceTime, and Google’s many communications services. Additionally, the core technology of Skype became less compatible with modern smartphones. Microsoft is now vying to acquire the US subsidiary of the popular Chinese platform, TikTok.