eBay acquired Skype for about $4.1 billion in 2005.
Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, with software created by a team that included developers from Estonia. Its internet voice and video service allowed people to communicate internationally, often at lower cost than traditional telephone calls.
eBay announced the acquisition in September 2005. The company hoped Skype’s communication tools would improve interactions between buyers and sellers on its marketplace. The strategic fit proved less successful than expected, and eBay later sold a majority stake in Skype to an investor group in 2009.
This acquisition is often confused with eBay’s purchase of PayPal. PayPal was acquired in 2002 and became eBay’s online-payments subsidiary. Skype was a separate acquisition three years later, driven by eBay’s attempt to connect marketplace users through internet communication.