正式停止运营！20多年历史结束

Core Insights - Microsoft officially discontinued Skype, transferring its core functionalities to another communication platform, marking the end of Skype's 20-year operational history [1][2] - The closure comes 14 years after Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion, which was the largest acquisition in Microsoft's history at that time [1][2] - Despite a surge in video call demand during the pandemic benefiting competitors like Zoom and Google Meet, Skype's popularity has declined significantly in recent years [1] Company History - Skype was launched in 2003 in Estonia and quickly became popular for enabling free global calls, especially during a time when international calls were expensive [2] - eBay acquired Skype in 2005 for $2.6 billion, but the partnership failed, leading eBay to sell 65% of its stake for $1.9 billion in 2009 [2] - Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011, and reported that Skype had over 300 million monthly active users in 2016, but by 2023, daily active users had dropped to 36 million [2]