Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) shut down its iconic internet communication service Skype on Monday after nearly 22 years of operation, redirecting users to its Teams platform.
The closure, announced on February 28 by Microsoft, marks the end of a service that pioneered online voice and video calling. Originally launched by a group of engineers in 2003, Skype was acquired by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion.
“Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available,” Microsoft said in its February announcement. The company has offered existing users the ability to migrate their accounts, chats and contacts to Microsoft Teams.
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Industry analysts note that despite once handling 8 percent of all international calls and reaching 405 million users in 2009, Skype gradually lost ground to mobile-focused competitors. The emergence of services like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, combined with the pandemic-era rise of Zoom, ultimately rendered Skype’s peer-to-peer technology outdated.
Microsoft will maintain the Skype Dial Pad feature for paid subscribers through its web portal and within Teams. Users who prefer not to transition to Teams have been given the option to export their data, including conversation history and contacts.
The shutdown completes Microsoft’s strategic shift toward its business-oriented Teams platform, which has seen usage minutes grow fourfold over the past two years.
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