Skype shuts down after 22 years

PARIS: Skype officially shut down on Monday. The closure comes after nearly 22 years in operation, during which Skype became known for making international voice and video calls accessible and affordable for millions of people worldwide. Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 and says the decision is part of a strategy to focus on its other platform, Microsoft Teams.

Launched in 2003, Skype quickly became a revolutionary tool for free voice and video calls over the internet, amassing more than 300 million monthly users at its peak in the mid-2010s. The free platform changed how people communicated across borders, long before Zoom or FaceTime.

In 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5bn, aiming to make it a central part of its communications strategy. But as competitors like WhatsApp, Zoom, and eventually Microsoft’s own Teams gained traction, Skype’s popularity faded.

On February 28, Microsoft said it would retire Skype on May 5 to streamline its services and prioritise Teams for communication and collaboration. Microsoft has urged users to transition to Teams by visiting skype.com and utilising the “Start using Teams” feature. All Skype chats and contacts will remain accessible through Teams using the same login credentials.