WASHINGTON (Kashmir English): The pioneering internet calling service, Skype, is going to shut down after 20 years as Microsoft shifts focus to Teams to compete with newer platforms.
The service will ring its last call on May 5 as the company retires the two-decade-old platform.
The decision is part of Microsoft’s efforts to streamline its communication services and focus on its own Teams platform.
The voice, video and messaging app was launched in 2003 which, no doubt, revolutionized communication by enabling free audio and video calls across the countries.
The platform gave a tough time to the landline industry. At its peak, it boasted hundreds of millions of users.
However, it struggled to keep up with newer, more user-friendly platforms like Slack and Zoom, particularly as mobile technology advanced.
The shift was further driven by Microsoft’s pivot toward Teams, which it aggressively integrated with other Office apps to win corporate users.
To help users in transition, Microsoft is offering free access to Teams with automatic migration of chats and contacts.
While Skype’s user base has significantly dropped, down to about 23 million users by 2020, Teams now boasts approximately 320m active users monthly.
Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5bn in 2011
Microsoft had acquired Skype for $8.5bn in 2011. The company stated that it played a key role in shaping modern communication and expressed gratitude for its impact.
The company, however, announced that there would be no job cuts due to the skype shutdown.
Skype is among the Microsoft’s tech ventures that did not live up to expectations, like Windows Phone and Internet Explorer.
