📱 Microsoft Shuts Down Skype After 23 Years

Microsoft officially retired Skype on May 5, 2025, ending the pioneering video-calling service's 23-year run as the company shifts its focus to Microsoft Teams. Skype first launched in Tallinn, Estonia, on August 29, 2003, when a six-person team from Estonia, Sweden and Denmark introduced what would become a communications revolution.

In May 2011, Microsoft paid $8.5 billion for Skype—its largest acquisition at the time—building on an active-user base of 170 million. The service's monthly active users swelled to roughly 300 million at its 2013–2016 peak, marking the high point of a journey that began with just 10,000 downloads on day one. Yet by 2021, Zoom had captured nearly half the market while Skype’s share had slipped to about 6 percent.

Read More