After over two decades of serving the world with its video calling services, Microsoft is now sunsetting one of the most famous platforms in the world, Skype, which popularized this type of communication.
The platform served as the go-to video conferencing app in the early 2000s and has served as the top method of video calling globally.
The reason behind Skype's shutdown is because of Microsoft's massive plans to grow its Teams platform, another video conferencing service that the company has expanded on since the pandemic.
Microsoft Sunsets Skype After 23 Years of Operations
Microsoft shared a message via Skype's official X account, announcing that the video conferencing platform is shutting down after 23 long years of operations.
Users who rely on Skype's services are given around two months to enjoy what the platform has to offer as the company said that it is shutting down come May 2025. The company did not specify the exact date for Skype's shutdown this May.
Users who have a Skype account may use the same login credentials to use the Microsoft Teams platform, the other video conferencing app by the Redmond-based software giant, for continued access to their communications needs.
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Microsoft to Prioritize Teams For Video Conferencing
The reason behind Microsoft's shutdown of Skype is that it is now going all-in with Microsoft Teams, according to Microsoft Office 365 President Jeff Teper. For many years now, Microsoft has focused its massive development on Teams while Skype only got quality-of-life upgrades and several features.
Microsoft acquired Skype 14 years ago for $8.5 billion, and this is the largest acquisition of the company as of writing.
According to CNN's report, Skype's popularity has faltered over the years compared to its significant dominance during the 2000s decade.
Looking Back at Skype's 20-Year Service
For over 20 years, Skype has been the most popular video calling service that many trusted, offering a platform for video conferencing that connected families, friends, and colleagues. Before, Skype was a straight-up platform for video and audio calls only, but then it added massive features that include instant messaging.
Later on, Skype gave the public a chance to enjoy the modern features as popularized by the likes of FaceTime, Zoom, Google Meet, and more. Microsoft gave Skype the capability to blur one's background, noise canceling audio based on AI, and more.
The rave of the early to mid-2000s for video conferencing experiences all centered around what Skype has to offer, and it became the go-to platform for different settings and allowed users to enjoy this remote communications feature. Now, it is laying to rest after 23 long years of providing a platform to the public, connecting users globally which significantly helped in transforming communications for all.
