An early alpha version was created and tested in spring 2003, and the first public beta version was released on 29 August 2003. Friis and Annus are credited with the idea of reducing the cost of voice calls by using a P2P protocol like that of Kazaa. The Skype software was created by Estonians Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, Jaan Tallinn, and Toivo Annus. Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström, from Sweden, and Janus Friis, from Denmark. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Skype lost a large part of its market share to Zoom. It became entirely powered by Microsoft-operated supernodes in May 2012 in 2017, it changed from a peer-to-peer service to a centralized Azure-based service.Īs of March 2020, Skype was used by 100 million people at least once a month and by 40 million people each day. Skype originally featured a hybrid peer-to-peer and client–server system.

As of 2011, most of the development team and 44% of all the division's employees were in Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia. In May 2011, Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion and used it to replace their Windows Live Messenger. In September 2009, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought 65% of Skype for $1.9 billion from eBay, valuing the business at $2.92 billion. In September 2005, eBay acquired Skype for $2.6 billion. Skype was created by Niklas Zennström, Janus Friis, and four Estonian developers and first released in August 2003.

Skype is available on various desktop, mobile, and video game console platforms. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, debit-based calls to landline and mobile telephones (over traditional telephone networks), and other features. Skype ( / s k aɪ p/) is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. Videoconferencing, VoIP and Instant messaging Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, iPadOS, HoloLens, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

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