Corporate retooling of Skype is chasing away long-time users

Posted on Thursday, May 10 2018 @ 22:18 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
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Over the years, Microsoft has made quite a lot of expensive acquisitions that didn't pay off. Back in 2011, Microsoft acquired internet phone service Skype for $8.5 billion. Over the years, Microsoft even ditched its own messenger service to put Skype front and center. But did it pay off?

A new piece over at Bloomberg notes Microsoft managed to score some big clients like General Electric, but overall the software giant is facing a lot of complaints from long-time users. Many users have switched to alternatives. Full details at Bloomberg:
Since acquiring Skype from private equity investors, Microsoft has refocused the online calling service on the corporate market, a change that has made Skype less intuitive and harder to use, prompting many Skypers to defect to similar services operated by Apple, Google, Facebook and Snap.

The company hasn’t updated the number of Skype users since 2016, when it put the total at 300 million. Some analysts suspect the numbers are flat at best, and two former employees describe a general sense of panic that they’re actually falling. The ex-Microsofters, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential statistics, say that as late as 2017 they never heard a figure higher than 300 million discussed internally.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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