Tech giant Microsoft has confirmed plans to shut down video-conferencing platform Skype, 14 years after acquiring the European-built app.
Founded in 2003 by a team of developers and entrepreneurs from across Europe, the company quickly disrupted the landline industry and paved the way for future communications platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts.
“We know this is a big deal for our Skype users, and we’re very grateful for their support of Skype and all the learnings that have factored into Teams over the last seven years,” Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft 365 collaborative Apps and platforms told TechCrunch.
“At this point, putting all our focus behind Teams will let us give a simpler message and drive faster innovation.”
Since selling his shares in Skype, cofounder Jaan Tallinn has become a prominent startup investor, backing leading AI companies like DeepMind and Anthropic.
Tallinn's more recent investments include Unlikely AI, the London-based startup founded by the former head of Amazon's Alexa unit, which aims to eliminate the number of "hallucinations" produced by large language models.
Tallinn's fellow cofounder Niklas Zennström went on to found Atomico, one of Europe's most prominent VC firms, which has backed homegrown giants like Stripe, Klarna and DeepL.
Writing on Linkedin following the announcement, Zennström wrote: "We built Skype to break the telecoms monopoly and make the world a little smaller. Overnight expats, business travellers, holidaymakers, and those leaving their home countries under far more difficult circumstances had a way to stay connected to their loved ones — completely for free."
He added: "Skype was a revolutionary product of its time and I will always be proud and grateful for the early team members and investors who took a chance on us."
