We say goodbye to Skype, another once-revolutionary platform now destined to join the ranks of ICQ, Hangouts, MSN Messenger, and other forgotten digital relics. Microsoft has finally decided to pull the plug, choosing to consolidate its efforts around Teams, a move that feels both inevitable and bittersweet.
On May 5, 2025, the chapter of a service that, for more than two decades, has connected friends, family and colleagues from around the world officially closed.
From a Bold Beginning to a Quiet Farewell
It all started back in 2003, a time when Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life” dominated radio waves and smartphones were still the stuff of science fiction. Two ambitious developers, Swedish Niklas Zennström and Danish Janus Friis, fresh off their success with the P2P file-sharing platform Kazaa, launched a program that promised not just instant messaging but also affordable voice calls to landlines and mobile phones worldwide. It was a breakthrough concept that quickly captured the attention of millions.
In 2005, eBay saw the potential and snapped up the platform, before selling it to Microsoft in 2011 for a staggering $8.5 billion. For a while, Skype thrived as a leading communication tool, but the tide soon turned. As the years passed, Microsoft attempted to reshape Skype into something it was never meant to be. Social features were awkwardly bolted on, and efforts to integrate AI tools only seemed to dilute its original simplicity. Meanwhile, Teams surged in popularity, driven by the remote work boom sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The End of an Era
As Teams became the go-to platform for businesses and remote workers, Skype struggled to keep up, gradually becoming a shadow of its former self. It found itself outpaced by faster, more versatile competitors and ultimately became redundant within Microsoft’s own ecosystem.
So, after nearly 22 years, Skype now takes its place in the digital graveyard alongside other once-iconic platforms. From May 5, the choice is clear: move on to Teams or explore the wide range of modern alternatives.
Farewell, Skype. You were a part of our digital lives for a long time. But like all things in tech, your time has come.
