Channel Marker

Sep 2 2009   1:26PM GMT

eBay to dump Skype



Posted by: badarrow
barbara d, ebay, IT channel products and technologies, Skype, VARs

It’s been real but…eBay is ready to end its ill-fated marriage with VoIP pioneer Skype. The 2005 buyout–for just under $3 billion–is viewed as a disaster in terms of tech M&As with eBay writing off $900 million two years later. Almost on par with  Time-Warner’s buyout of AOL. Here’s a handy-dandy Skype timeline.

The New York Times reports that the buyers are a group of private investors including Marc Andreessen. Remember him?

One great thing about talking to VARs about all manner of things is that they often cut to the chase in a way that investment bankers and deal makers cannot. (Or do not.) VARs will call a spade a spade. They can puncture the myth of corporate “synergies” and shoot down the verbiage about paradigm shifts. Many tech deals never make sense to start with and end up making a lot less sense over time.

Ebay and Skype never made sense.

 

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