eBay acquired Skype from its founders in 2005.
The online auction company announced the purchase of Skype in September 2005 in a deal valued at about $2.6 billion, including cash, stock, and performance-based consideration. eBay hoped internet calling would improve communication between buyers and sellers.
Skype had been founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, with development work by a team that included Estonian programmers. Its peer-to-peer voice and video service quickly became internationally popular.
The acquisition did not produce the strategic integration eBay originally expected. eBay later sold a majority stake in Skype to an investor group in 2009, and Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011. This history is distinct from eBay’s acquisitions of PayPal and other commerce-related companies.