Skype shuts down after 22 years
Skype, the popular video calling and messaging service, officially shut down after 22 years of operation. Microsoft, wich acquired Skype in 2011, announced in February 2025 that the service would be discontinued to focus on Microsoft Teams, which offers additional features beyond those available on Skype. Users of Skype will have access to a free version of Teams that includes core functionalities such as one-on-one and group calls, messaging, and file sharing, along with enhanced capabilities like meeting hosting and community building.
Skype was launched in 2003 and reached a peak of over 300 million users. However, its popularity waned over the years as competitors like WhatsApp and Zoom gained traction, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2023, Skype’s user base had dwindled to about 36 million, leading to Microsoft’s decision to retire the service. Microsoft highlighted that Teams has seen notable growth, with significant increases in user engagement and features designed to meet contemporary communication needs.
Skype shuts down after 22 years
Once hailed as a technology of the future, Skype, the video calling and messaging service, shut down on Monday after 22 years in operation.
Microsoft, which has owned Skype for 14 years, announced in February that it planned to end the service.
“In order to streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs, we will be retiring Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams (free), our modern communications and collaboration hub,” Jeff Teper, Microsoft president of collaborative apps and platforms, said at the time.
Microsoft decided to shut down Skype to focus its resources on developing its Microsoft Teams app, which includes all the services that Skype provided, plus more. As part of the transition, Microsoft announced it would offer a free version of Teams to all consumers who previously utilized Skype.
“With Teams, users have access to many of the same core features they use in Skype, such as one-on-one calls and group calls, messaging, and file sharing,” Teper said. “Additionally, Teams offers enhanced features like hosting meetings, managing calendars, and building and joining communities for free.”
Teper also said Teams has established a presence in the video conferencing market and that the product is currently used by “hundreds of millions” of people to connect with others at home, school, and work. He also emphasized that “the number of minutes spent in meetings by consumer users of Teams” has quadrupled in the last two years.
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Skype was created in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis as a service to make calls over the internet. Over the years, it evolved into a free video call service and messaging application. Reports show that over 300 million people had used Skype at its peak. However, Skype’s clientele dipped over the years as consumers sought to use other products that provided competition in the market, such as WhatsApp and Slack.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, as video calling services became a staple for communication, consumers opted for services such as Zoom and Teams over Skype. By 2020, the number of Skype users dropped to 40 million. This downward trend continued. By 2023, only 36 million people were using Skype, according to reports.
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