Microsoft to Acquire Skype for $8.5 Billion

083144 msskype

Rumors of the acquisition broke last night, and this morning Microsoft has confirmed that they are acquiring Skype for $8.5 billion.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Skype Global S. r.l today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire Skype, the leading Internet communications company, for $8.5 billion in cash from the investor group led by Silver Lake. The agreement has been approved by the boards of directors of both Microsoft and Skype.

Skype is the popular voice over internet service that also offers a Mac and iOS App version.

Microsoft reports that Skype will support Microsoft devices like Xbox and Kinect, Windows Phone and a wide array of Windows devices, and Microsoft will connect Skype users with Lync, Outlook, Xbox Live and other communities. The press release also states that they will continue to invest in and support Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

AtHomeBoy_2000 Avatar
172 months ago
$8.5 billion?????
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fungus Avatar
172 months ago
And you thought the Skype 5 update for Mac was a step backward... :rolleyes:
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
millerb7 Avatar
172 months ago
Thank god the world ends in 2012.... doesn't leave Microsoft enough time to screw this up!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
840quadra Avatar
172 months ago
So is this going to become a pay service now, and require us to enter complicated license keys every time we try to call someone?

A7BQT IDONT L1K3 53R1AL C0D35


I am kidding. But, hopefully Microsoft can actually improve Skype going forward. Perhaps some Competition for Google Voice.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roadbloc Avatar
172 months ago
So then was Bill Gates using it wrong?

Bill Gates - Windows Media Center Blooper
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gtYoPGvcFI&feature=related

Bill Gates, Windows 98 Blue Screen of Death
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW7Rqwwth84


How about all the people in these videos?

Windows 7 Crashes On Live TV
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p_q9sh95pw&feature=related

Windows 7 Blue Screen of Death
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vUqiIzifko


Is the guy in Japan pressing the icon on the desktop of a touch-based Windows 7 PC touching it wrong? Is it a "bad touch? :rolleyes:

Yeah, because every single demo of every Apple product has gone flawlessly well. :rolleyes:
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
glossywhite Avatar
172 months ago
Most of you critics would be praising this deal if it was Apple making the acquisition.
Don't be doing irrational things like speaking the truth, or the fanboys will vote you down... oh look, they already have.

Fwiw, I agree with you. Apple does not rule the world, and, tbh, they're becoming quite boring and predictable.

[edit]

Ironically, people in apple circles are always waffling on about how so-and-so copied this, that or the other from the mighty apple, and yet look - MR has "copied" (?) the digg vote up/down feature.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)