Microsoft(US:MSFT) 猿大侠·2025-05-11 05:30Core Viewpoint - Microsoft officially ceased operations of Skype on May 5, marking the end of a once-dominant internet voice and video calling software that was founded in 2003 [1] Group 1: Historical Context - Skype was initially launched as a free online calling tool, with its name derived from "sky peer to peer," reflecting its VoIP technology [1] - By 2004, just one year after its launch, Skype had registered 11 million users [1] - User numbers grew to 54 million by 2005 [2] - Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion, marking the largest acquisition in Microsoft's history at that time [3] Group 2: Peak and Decline - At its peak in 2016, Skype had over 300 million active users monthly [4] - Post-acquisition, Microsoft shifted focus from optimizing technology to introducing new features to attract users, leading to a decline in stability as the code aged [4][5] - Competing applications like Apple's iMessage, FaceTime, WhatsApp, and Tencent's WeChat gained popularity, contributing to Skype's decline [5] - The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 presented a potential resurgence opportunity for Skype, but Zoom captured the market instead [5] Group 3: Current Status and Future Direction - By 2023, Skype's active user base had dwindled to approximately 36 million [5] - Microsoft Teams has grown to 320 million monthly active users, surpassing Skype's remaining user base, prompting Microsoft to shift its focus entirely to Teams [6] - The free consumer chat market is inherently difficult to monetize, and Microsoft has no intention of maintaining a product that is becoming increasingly marginal [7]