Yes, it’s true—Skype shut down on May 5, 2025, after 22 years. Microsoft, the company that owns it, decided to stop Skype development to focus on Microsoft Teams, which they see as a more modern, all-purpose app for chatting and working together. Skype users can switch to the free version of Teams, where their contacts and chat history will move over automatically using their current login.
Why did it close up shop? Skype was a big deal, with over 300 million monthly users in the mid-2010s, but by 2025, only about 23 million were left. Constant changes to its look, bulky updates, and tough competition from apps like Zoom and Discord during the COVID-19 time made it less popular.
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Microsoft thinks Teams, which can handle huge calls (up to 10,000 people) and includes AI tools, fits today’s needs better. Paid Skype features, like Skype Numbers, will keep working until billing periods end, and users can save their data until January 2026.
Did you know that Skype was created in 2003 by Estonian developers Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, and Jaan Tallinn, along with Swedish entrepreneur Niklas Zennström and Danish partner Janus Friis? That’s right, the tech came from their earlier project, Kazaa, a peer-to-peer file-sharing network.
With Teams, users have access to many of the same core features they use in Skype, such as one-on-one calls and group calls, messaging, and file sharing. Additionally, Teams offers enhanced features like hosting meetings, managing calendars, and building and joining communities for free,” said Jeff Teper, President, Collaborative Apps and Platforms.
