Microsoft Shutters Chat Service Skype After 21 Years

The Washington Post reports:

Skype users bade farewell to the online communication service Monday, reminiscing about late-night calls with friends, long-distance dates and free catch-ups with far-flung family — along with pixelated faces and “Can you hear me?” moments.

Microsoft, its owner, has shuttered the service to focus on its alternative calling service, Teams.

The decision to scrap Skype, announced in March, caps a remarkable 21-year run for a software that for many embodied the early values of the open internet: It was mostly free, had a user-friendly interface and made it easier for people to connect across the world. In its heyday, Skype had over 300 million users.

Read the full article.

Skype is getting shut down today. It was surely one of the most revolutionaries chat apps ever.

Skype was the first major chat app to implement end-to-end encryption, prompting authorities all over the world to freak out about it, and look at spyware as a solution.

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— Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai (@lorenzofb.bsky.social) May 5, 2025 at 9:53 AM