Skype is a proprietary instant messaging client and telecommunications application that was developed by Skype Technologies in 2003, was acquired by eBay for $2.5 billion in 2005, divested, then it was acquired by Microsoft for $8.5 billion in 2010 to replace Messenger.¹⁾

It used to be a fairly popular client featuring peer-to-peer voice calls in the 2000s, but they largely fell off after the Microsoft acquisition. The 2010s generally saw Skype transform into this bloated, unstable client, justifying a need for alternatives like Discord to draw users away. Outside of business, education, or work, the client is generally depopulated and there's almost no reason to use it casually anymore.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, most companies and educational institutions have generally migrated away from the client,²⁾ replacing it with Discord, Microsoft Teams, Slack, WhatsApp, or Zoom. Despite significant downward trends, Skype does get UI updates³⁾ and AI chatbots,⁴⁾⁵⁾ yet Microsoft seems to be mostly prioritizing Microsoft Teams for businesses.⁶⁾

I generally do not have fond memories of Skype, having used it from 2013 to 2016 until Discord replaced it, so here is a list of bad memories and complaints that I had with the client:

• Skype didn't close whenever you closed it. The program would keep you logged in, allegedly to minimize server strain, and it was the only program doing this back then. People don't complain about this anymore since phones tether people to the internet now, but this was a real complaint.
• The servers used to get knocked offline so often, I still have memories of the “heartbeat.skype.com” status page (which has since moved) because that's how often the client got knocked offline.
• Skype would inject advertisements into the client, sometimes causing it to crash. It was also a security issue as malvertising was prominent,⁷⁾⁸⁾ so editing your hosts file was recommended.
• Users could drag anyone on their contact list into a group chat, regardless of whether they were willing to be added or not, and the group chat would simply just vanish if you were kicked or removed.
• Every single file is downloaded by default, which meant that if you ended up in a group chat that was raided with 500 copies of the same image, Skype would attempt to download each and every file in the background until you figure out why your computer was running so slow with Skype open.
• The animated emojis were an eyesore, but it was enabled by default, so you kinda had to have them enabled if you wanted to see what the hell people were posting.
• Back in 2021, Microsoft attempted to buy Discord,⁹⁾ for at least $10 billion.¹⁰⁾ People hated the idea so much¹¹⁾ that Discord used it for their April Fools joke¹²⁾ before the deal was called off.

• The name stems from “Sky peer-to-peer”, intended to be shortened to “Skyper”, but they ended up naming the program “Skype” as the domain name for “Skyper” was already taken.¹³⁾
  • On that note, the “skyper.com” domain was held by a German telecom provider “e*Message” that sold a pager called “e*Skyper”, while the Skype founders held the “skyper.net” domain.
• Skype has been known to leak IP addresses for years,¹⁴⁾¹⁵⁾ but it took them years to fix,¹⁶⁾¹⁷⁾ and it continues to be an issue as it doesn't fit their definition of a “security vulnerability”.¹⁸⁾
• If you have a Microsoft or Skype account, even if you signed up with a third-party email, check if you have a Skype account and disable “Discoverability” so you don't accidentally dox yourself.

• Skype - The front page of Skype.
  • @skype and @skypesupport on Twitter - Official accounts for Skype.
• Skype Status - The status page. Formerly called Skype Heartbeat.