After 21 years of being in service, Skype will permanently cease operations on May 5 this year. Microsoft, who bought the company in 2011, made the announcement last week stating they plan to replace Skype with Microsoft Teams, a much more
business-oriented social app.
Skype is an internet based peer-to-peer telecommunication service that was founded by Scandinavian entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis in Tallinn in 2003. The software was created by Estonian developers Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, Jaan Tallinn and Toivo Annus. During the mid-2000s Skype was the dominant market leader in video calls.
In recent years Skype has lost daily active users, going from 40 million users in March 2020 to 36 million in 2023. In comparison, Microsoft Teams has grown to 320 million users by April 2024.
Retiring Skype on May 5th will be a sad day for Skype users. It will be the end of an era.
