The red logout button is about to be pressed for good. It's not shocking news, but it's still quite an effect to discover that Skype or Whatsapp (that program that for many represented the first contact with video calls) will close its doors in May.
I still remember when, in the early 2000s, that unmistakable ringtone announced the possibility of seeing and hearing people on the other side of the world, almost by magic. How many job interviews, distance learning lessons, calls with distant relatives passed through that interface? Skype changed the way we communicate, only to be gradually overtaken by other solutions. A story of innovation (behind), success (well, well) and a decline that Microsoft has tried to rewrite several times, but which is now finally coming to an end.
Skype, an end written in the stars (and in business plans)
The message is as clear as the one that appeared when our interlocutor had an unstable connection: “Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats on Teams.” How can I define it? A digital death sentence?
Think about it: Skype has spanned three decades. It was born in an era when Motorola Razrs were the dream phone (not for me), broadband connections were a rarity, and Spielberg's “War of the Worlds” had just been released in theaters. the 2003, the year Skype was born, was a time when MySpace dominated social media and nobody had heard of the iPhone. Like any good zombie movie, every time we thought it was dead, Microsoft would revive it with some major update. This time, however, it looks like there won't be a sequel.
The epic of a revolutionary communication
Remember when international calls cost as much as a kidney on the black market? Skype changed all that. While 50 Cent was asking us to go “In Da Club” and Matrix Reloaded was dominating the box office, a group of Estonian developers (the same ones that Kazaa, for those who remember) was about to change the way we would connect with the world.
Microsoft acquired it in 2011 for the modest sum of $8,5 billion (about the GDP of a small country). It was the era when the first season of “Game of Thrones” debuted on HBO and Lady Gaga showed up to the MTV Video Music Awards in a dress made of raw meat. Wild times, boys. But the marriage with Microsoft It wasn’t exactly a honeymoon. Like a toxic relationship, the company tried everything: integrating it into Windows 10, turning it into separate apps for messaging and calling, converting it to UWP (Universal Windows Platform) and then back to Win32. And they didn’t get anywhere, in the end. Let's face it, come on.
From Throne to Digital Dust: Skype and Its Successor
Skype’s trajectory is reminiscent of many rock stars: a meteoric start, a period of glory, and then a slow decline as new talent emerged. In 2017, while Ed Sheeran dominated the charts with “Shape of You” and “La La Land” won six Oscars, Microsoft launched Teams, built on the technical foundations of Skype but with very different ambitions.
Meanwhile, the competition was certainly not sitting idly by. Apple with FaceTime it offered an alternative that was perfectly integrated into its ecosystem. Google launched as many communication apps as the stars in the Milky Way, creating more confusion than clarity (with relative hecatomb of failed apps). And then there was the failure of the mobile platform of Microsoft: Windows Phone, we remember you fondly, rest in peace.
The Legacy of a Revolution
Despite everything, Skype has left an indelible mark on the future of yesterday, in pop culture and in our daily lives. For years, “skyping” has been synonymous with video calling, as “googling” is with online research. It has allowed long-distance couples to stay connected, families scattered around the world to reunite virtually, professionals to collaborate across continents.
It has also spawned unforgettable viral moments: TV interviews interrupted by children barging into a parent’s home office, cats walking across keyboards during important meetings, and that universal phrase: “Can you hear me? Can you see me?”
The passing of the baton
Now, as Teams takes over from Skype, we can’t help but wonder: what will remain of this digital icon? Perhaps just that nostalgic ringtone that accompanied millions of human connections.
Skype's shutdown truly marks the end of an era, but like every good story, this one deserves a worthy epilogue. So, before May arrives, perhaps it's worth making one last call. Just for the record. A small tribute to that program that, for better or for worse, has helped make the world a little smaller and more connected.
RIP Skype. We will remember you as the companion who made us feel closer when we were far apart, even if you drove us crazy at times with connection problems, deafening echoes and that damned camera bug that refused to activate at the most important moments.
