[ The end of an era. I prefer to use Signal now. ]

From: https://shorturl.at/AdiwK (nypost.com)

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  Microsoft retiring Skype after 20 years - as platform failed to keep up with
                                  Zoom, Slack

   By Reuters
   Published Feb. 28, 2025, 11:52 a.m. ET

   Skype will ring for the last time on May 5 as owner Microsoft retires the
   two-decade-old internet calling service that redefined how people connect
   across borders.

   Shutting down Skype will help Microsoft focus on its homegrown Teams
   service by simplifying its communication offerings, the software giant
   said on Friday.

   Founded in 2003, Skype's audio and video calls quickly disrupted the
   landline industry in the early 2000s and made the company a household name
   boasting hundreds of millions of users at its peak.

   But the platform has struggled to keep up with easier-to-use and more
   reliable rivals such as Zoom and Salesforce's Slack in recent years.

   The decline was partly because Skype's underlying technology was not
   suited for the smartphone era.

   When the pandemic and work-from-home fueled the need for online business
   calls, Microsoft batted for Teams by aggressively integrating it with
   other Office apps to tap corporate users - once a major base for Skype.

   To ease the transition from the platform, its users will be able to log
   into Teams for free on any supported device using their existing
   credentials, with chats and contacts migrating automatically.

   With that, Skype will become the latest in a series of high-flying bets
   that Microsoft has mishandled, such as the Internet Explorer web browser
   and its Windows Phone.

   Other big tech firms have also struggled with online communication tools,
   with Google making several attempts through apps including Hangouts and
   Duo.

   Microsoft declined to share the latest user figures for Skype and said
   there would be no job cuts due to the move.

   It added that Teams has about 320 million monthly active users.

   When Microsoft bought Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion after outbidding
   Google and Facebook - its largest deal at the time - the service had
   around 150 million monthly users; by 2020, that number had fallen to
   roughly 23 million, despite a brief resurgence during the pandemic.

   Microsoft said on Friday "Skype has been an integral part of shaping
   modern communications. We are honored to have been part of the journey."
===

-- Sean

... A true friend knows who you are but likes you anyway.
--- MultiMail/Linux
 * Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)