Source: eWeek
eBay‘s acquisition of Skype could be worth up to $4.1 billion to investors in the Internet telephony start-up, but it is getting mixed reviews from Skype’s fervent supporters.
It was the hard-core Skype fans whose word-of-mouth advertising helped it become the world’s largest voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) provider without spending a penny on marketing. It has some 54 million registered users and usually has more than 3.5 million people online.
But the sale to eBay could signal the end of the evangelical zeal from users that drove Skype’s rapid growth. Its software—which offers free computer-to-computer calls between Skype users—has spread in classic viral fashion, as each new user convinces friends and family to sign up. In a poll on the forums, 69 percent of users said the acquisition is not a good thing, compared with 23 percent in favor of the deal.
“In my opinion, the takeover by eBay means to me possibly and probably the end of free Skype services. I anticipate a very bad future for us here but I sincerely hope I am wrong,” a Skype user wrote.
Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis are sticking with Skype, and eBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman said on Monday that she intends to nurture the core Skype business even as its voice call features are integrated into eBay.