Online revolution, colossal acquisition, obsolescence… The end of Skype, or the journey of a 21st-century technology

After the disappearance of MSN in 2009 and then Skyblogs in 2023 , the closure of Skype definitively leaves behind the vestiges of the Internet of the 2000s. The famous communication software, pioneer of online calls, will be permanently unplugged by Microsoft on Monday, May 5, after twenty-two years of existence. Although still used in 2023 by 36 million people daily, the platform has lost its splendor, distanced by the generalization and emergence of more modern competitors, Zoom, WhatsApp, Google Meet and its internal rival, Microsoft Teams.

The platform finds itself a victim of a digital world it helped shape. Launched on August 29, 2003, by two Scandinavian entrepreneurs, Skype revolutionized communication, even before the advent of smartphones. Calls between Skype accounts became free, with anyone in the world, at a time when mobile phone plans didn't allow unlimited calls—or even text messages. By adding a simple webcam, it was now possible to see each other remotely to stay in touch with loved ones, take guitar lessons, or even play online.

In just a few years, Skype established itself. 11 million users in 2004, 54 million in 2005, 100 million in 2006, 405 million in 2008... Building on its success, the software was quickly bought by eBay in 2005 , then sold to Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion. But this was already the beginning of Skype's decline. Uses were evolving, smartphones were becoming widespread, and new services were jumping on the bandwagon: FaceTime at Apple, WhatsApp at Meta, Google Meet, Discord for gamers, and the rise of Zoom during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, Skype's interface was aging, as was its image.

Internally, poor decision-making rendered the software completely obsolete. While Microsoft wanted to make Skype a professional tool, the American company finally created Teams in 2017, a direct and... better competitor. Logging into Skype for Business then redirected directly to Microsoft Teams, and the platform disappeared in 2021. In reality, Teams was designed from the start as a successor to Skype. The American company also reports 320 million daily users on its new platform by 2023.

Microsoft promises a smooth transition. A gateway has been created between Skype and Teams: contacts, conversations, profile pictures, etc. Data can migrate seamlessly to the new home. Since March, Skype users simply need to log in to Microsoft Teams Free with their usual credentials to automatically retrieve everything. Instructions are also available on the publisher's website for manually backing up their archives. But after January, all unrecovered data will disappear forever into the internet.