The recent acquisition of Skype by Microsoft was no surprise. While legions of Skype users may bemoan that their low-cost alternative to international calling is being swallowed up by the behemoth, they shouldn't really fret. It may very well be what saves Skype.
As it turns out, Skype isn't really an independent company having been acquired by eBay, then more recently a larger group of investors including as it turns out, one of the organizations that manages funds for the Canada Pension Plan. It also has been a money loser recently.
Microsoft has always had the technology to compete with Skype, most recently with its Live Meeting product (free for peer to peer calling), and now Microsoft Lync, but they did not have the user base. Skype has had the user base, but not the deep pockets to take the service to the next level.
While much maligned in the press and fanboy opinion, over the past 8 years Microsoft has been able to double its sales and profits. If that were my company, I'd be satisfied with this metric (we won't talk about the pop culture/people's choice metric though). Of all the players to purchase Skype, I'd say this might likely be the best choice.
My crystal ball? Look for the full integration of the Skype we know now, and the collaborative toolkit of Lync.
Perhaps we could call it "SLyncee". No wait, that's been taken.
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