Microsoft to permanently shut down Skype after buying it for $8.5 billion

Published February 28, 2025 5:03pm ET



Microsoft announced on Friday it will shutter the once-popular video calling service Skype in May and encouraged users to adopt a free version of its Teams service.

The service will shut down roughly 14 years after Microsoft purchased it for $8.5 billion, after calling Skype “the leading Internet communications company” at the time of the acquisition. Microsoft said the move to retire Skype is being made to “streamline” its consumer offerings by focusing on Teams.

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