Skype Officially Shuts Down as Microsoft Shifts Focus to Teams
Today marks the official end of Skype, the once-revolutionary video calling platform that helped shape online communication. Microsoft, which acquired Skype in 2011 (following its initial purchase by eBay in 2005), announced the decision back in February, confirming that it would retire the service after years of declining relevance.
Over the past few months, remaining Skype users have been encouraged to transition to Microsoft Teams, the company’s now-primary platform for video conferencing and collaboration. Microsoft365 President Jeff Teper noted that the company learned valuable lessons from Skype’s rise and eventual decline—insights that directly contributed to the development and success of Teams.
Teper explained that focusing on a single platform would allow Microsoft to deliver a better, more unified experience to users, particularly in the professional and enterprise space.
Skype was launched in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, with development based in Estonia. It became a global leader in internet-based voice and video calls, offering free communication between users and affordable rates for calling landlines and mobile phones. But as smartphones surged in popularity and competitors like Zoom and Teams emerged—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic—Skype struggled to keep up.
In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft acknowledged that Skype’s once-groundbreaking features, like low-cost mobile and landline calling, had lost relevance in an era of affordable mobile data plans and robust messaging alternatives.
