Microsoft to shut down Skype as tech giant announces major shift

Video-conferencing website Skype is closing down, as owner Microsoft confirms it will be shutting the service in May.

Founded in 2003, the video and audio call company became a household name, boasting hundreds of millions of users at its peak.

However, tech giant Microsoft has confirmed it will be retiring the two-decade-old internet calling service on May 5, encouraging people to migrate to Teams instead.

Tech experts said 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.

Microsoft purchased Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion after outbidding Google and Facebook, the largest deal for the company at the time.

The service had about 150 million monthly users; by 2020, that number had fallen to roughly 23 million, despite a brief resurgence during the pandemic.

More to follow…