A few months ago we posted a blog article speculating about how Microsoft would integrate Skype into their operating systems, Nokia handsets, and Microsoft Lync. Unfortunately nothing has been announced yet as to the specifics of how we’ll see Skype used in Microsoft products, but a major step was taken regarding the acquisition itself.
The deal was originally announced on May 10, 2011, and although the boards of directors for both companies agreed to the deal at the time, it took over six months to actually close the deal. Technically, the acquisition is still under review in a few countries, but the bulk of the work has been done, prompting an announcement that Microsoft has officially introduced Skype as a new business division. The total cost to Microsoft was $8.5 billion.
Another recent blog post here on the Telax blog included an infographic detailing Skype’s daily numbers. At the time of the post, the number of people signing in per day was 65 million. Tony Bates, former CEO of Skype and current President of the Skype Division of Microsoft, expects that by teaming up with Microsoft, Skype should be able to reach their goal of one billion users daily much quicker than originally anticipated.
“By bringing together the best of Microsoft and the best of Skype, we are committed to empowering consumers and businesses around the globe to connect in new ways,” Bates said. “Together, we will be able to accelerate Skype’s goal to reach one billion users daily.” See the Microsoft press release here.
We should see over the coming months just how Microsoft plans to integrate Skype into their software, and how that integration will bring in new users. It will be interesting to see if Skype can actually meet their goal of one billion daily users. They’re extremely popular now with 65 million users per day, but it’s quite a jump to reach one billion. If they do manage to bring in that many new users, you can bet the bulk of them will be using Skype in the workplace.
Once the Skype product is entrenched in Microsoft operating systems and the Office suite, it will be easy for anyone not using an Apple product to be one of those billion users, but if Skype doesn’t at least come close to hitting their goal, the $8.5 million dollar price tag paid by Microsoft might prove to be far higher than what the company is actually worth.
Tags: Microsoft, skype, Tony Bates