Microsoft to shut down Skype after 21 years

Big tech company Microsoft is shutting down Skype, the 21-year-old internet-based phone and video service that once dominated digital communication.

The software giant announced the decision in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, urging Skype users to migrate to its free Microsoft Teams app.

“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. Thank you for being part of Skype,” the statement read.

The shutdown comes 14 years after Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion—its largest cash acquisition at the time—as part of efforts to bolster its communication offerings.

Following the acquisition, Microsoft integrated Skype into its broader ecosystem, including Office and the now-defunct Windows Phone platform.

However, despite a brief resurgence during the pandemic, the service has struggled to compete with rivals like Zoom, Google Meet, etc., with its user base steadily declining in recent years.

In 2003, Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström, co-founders of the peer-to-peer file-sharing platform Kazaa, launched Skype in Estonia with the support of a group of former classmates who had no prior experience in telecommunications.

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