Why has eBay sold 65% of Skype?
When eBay acquired Skype for $3 billion back in 2005 there were many eyebrows raised about how eBay could incorporate Internet telephone services and make money. However, over the last few years we have seen a steady increase in the number of Internet telephones and Internet telephone services with Skype still way ahead of the rest of the market. However, at the very bottom of the economic recession it seems that eBay has agreed to sell 65% of its Skype Internet calling operation to a group of investors from $2 billion.
While the deal will see eBay still retain 35% of the operation and potentially make a significant return in the future, this has surprised many people who were of the opinion that Internet telephone systems were the way ahead for the future. Even though eBay has suggested the sale was pushed through purely and simply to allow the company to concentrate on its core auction business there is a feeling that maybe Skype was not performed as well as it should have been and competition may well be eating away into the business. Or have we seen the end of the Internet telephone before it has really started?
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