Microsoft shutting down Skype in May
Redmond, Feb 28 (AP): Microsoft is closing down Skype, the video-calling service it bought for USD 8.5 billion in 2011.
The tech giant said Friday it will retire Skype in May and shift some of its services to Microsoft Teams, its flagship videoconferencing platform. Skype users will be able to use their existing accounts to log into Teams.
Microsoft has for years prioritised Teams over Skype and the decision to fold the brand is part of a broader shift in how people communicate online.
Founded in 2003 by a group of engineers in Tallinn, Estonia, Skype was a pioneer in making telephone calls using the internet instead of landlines. It added video calls after online retailer eBay bought the service in 2005.
By 2011, when Microsoft bought it from eBay, Skype had about 170 million users worldwide, then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in an event announcing the planned merger.
“The Skype brand has become a verb, nearly synonymous with video and voice communications,” Ballmer said.
Skype was still considered high-tech in 2017 when recently inaugurated President Donald Trump's administration used it to field questions from journalists far from the White House press briefing room.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
PM Modi becomes first sitting Prime Minister to visit RSS headquarters
Nagpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made history by becoming the first sitting PM to visit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur. He paid tribute to RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and second chief MS Golwalkar at Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was also present during PM Modi’s visit to the Smruti Mandir in Nagpur's Reshimbagh, the administrative headquarters of the organisation, which is planning to celebrate 100 years since its founding.
The visit coincided with the Sangh's Pratipada programme marking Gudi Padwa, the Hindu New Year.
PM Modi also visited Deekshabhoomi to pay respects to BR Ambedkar. Later, he laid the foundation stone for Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre and inaugurated the Loitering Munition Testing Range in Nagpur.
Visiting Smruti Mandir in Nagpur is a very special experience.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 30, 2025
Making today’s visit even more special is the fact that it has happened on Varsha Pratipada, which is also the Jayanti of Param Pujya Doctor Sahab.
Countless people like me derive inspiration and strength from the… pic.twitter.com/6LzgECjwvI
