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After being online and in operation for over two decades since it launched back in 2003, Skype, the long running digital platform for video and face timing calls is shutting down this May.

It was first launched in Estonia and quickly grew in popularity globally with many users both at home and even for businesses. Skype, over the years of its lifespan, helped popularize and pave the way for free digital calls as well as for face-timing conversations across both computers and smartphones. Features that later apps such as Messenger, Whatsapp, Google Meet and even Microsoft Teams have later adopted and built upon.

Back in 2011, Microsoft Corporation purchased Skype for an estimated amount of $8.5 billion dollars, which at the time former CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer felt that Skype was a massive and helpful tool that was beloved by millions across the world. Due to its massive popularity at the time, Microsoft wanted to take full advantage of the software and build upon it further with what was already established. However, as more apps such as Whatsapp, Messenger and Microsoft’s own Teams platform were invented, which they share and utilize similar features as Skype in terms of face timing and video calls, user counts for Skype itself began to decline over the years.

During the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic back in 2020, the number of people using Skype rose for some time due to quarantine rules and restrictions made. After the pandemic the user count quickly dropped back down. As more of the numbers continued to drop, Microsoft ultimately decided that it was time to pull the plug on the platform, marking an end of an era for Skype. All who have accounts to Skype can now be able use their log in information from the site to Microsoft Teams free of charge as Microsoft is shutting down its services to the site itself on May 5 of this year.