It’s the end of an era for online communication. Microsoft has officially announced plans to retire Skype, the video calling service that revolutionized global connectivity after its launch in 2003. The company will disable the platform in May 2025, shifting its focus to Microsoft Teams (free), its modern communication and collaboration tool.
“In order to streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs,” Jeff Teper, Microsoft’s President of Collaborative Apps and Platforms, “we will be retiring Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams (free), our modern communications and collaboration hub.”
Teper acknowledged Skype’s profound impact over the past two decades, adding, “Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications and supporting countless meaningful moments, and we are honored to have been part of the journey.”
Following the announcement, users took to social media to express mixed emotions—ranging from nostalgia to shock.
“Wait… Skype was still a thing? Thought it retired long ago,” one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, while another reminisced, “Gutting tbh, have lots of memories on Skype, was what I used to call my mates on before I had a phone.”
Once a dominant force in the video calling industry, Skype was acquired by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion. However, in recent years, the platform lost favor as competitors like Zoom, FaceTime, and Microsoft Teams gained prominence.
“Honestly, I’m more surprised they were still around,” another user commented. “Everyone seems to use Zoom and Teams now.”
Despite its decline, Skype holds a special place in the hearts of those who grew up using it.
“Man, that dialing noise when you were about to video chat someone for the first time was such a nerve-racking experience back in the day,” a former user reflected. “So many memories.”
And in a fitting farewell, one fan quoted a classic sentiment: “Don’t be sad because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
Source: E! News
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