“Are we making a skype?” As of this Monday, May 5, this expression (certainly become a little outdated) will no longer have to be. Launched in 2003, Microsoft’s communication software is gaining reverence. After 22 years of good services, the Burbank firm has decided to put it prematurely retired, preferring to focus its efforts on Teams.
A revolution in the internet era
No more “skyper”! Microsoft’s Skype software talks about this Monday, May 5. Zoom, WhatsApp, Google Meet, Face Time and Teams have been there, reminding the shelves of forgetting the pioneer of communication on the web that will remember with nostalgia (in the same way as for the Skyblogs), a whole generation of boomers.
Launched on August 29, 2003, the software was then imagined by two Scandinavians, the Swedish Niklas Zennström and the Danish Janus Friis. A real revolution at the pre-scartphones era, where the unlimited packages for telephone calls and the sending of SMS did not exist!
The era of “voice on IP”
first bought $ 2.6 billion per eBay in 2005 (Skype then had more than 50 million subscribers), then in May 2011 by Microsoft (for the trifle of $ 8.5 billion!), The software peer-to-peer which is only used by between computers is revolutionizing communications. Originally, he offered free calls “in voice on IP”: close to the world, two people holding a Skype account can communicate without paying anything other than their internet subscription. Video calls only arrived in 2005.
“Teams kills me?” »»
Paradox: while smartphones sales will explode (Skype has 405 million subscribers in 2008, while the first iPhone has just been launched), the software will gradually see its popularity decrease. Another paradox: Microsoft himself will competition Skype by creating Teams in 2016 (first for businesses, then for individuals). And the competition is gradually rushed Skype towards the exit: Whatsapp, Google Meet, Face Time, without forgetting Zoom whose use explodes with the Covid.
Las! Microsoft therefore prefers to throw in the towel, wanting to rationalize your offers and focus on Teams which allows, in addition to calls, to organize meetings … The firm will not however throw the baby with bath water and proposes to help those who would like to make their migration from Skype to Teams.
In 2024, Skype was still used by 36 million people worldwide. This May 5, there were only 4 million. No doubt it was time to give him the blow of grace.
