CNN has confirmed: Microsoft has already bought Skype

According to CNN's Fortune magazine, Microsoft has already bought Skype, and official confirmation is expected in the coming hours.

Buying loss-making Skype would not have an immediate significant impact on Microsoft's finances, but it would make clear its intention to compete with its rivals, Apple and Google.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Microsoft is in talks to buy Skype Technologies for about $8,5 billion, including Skype's debt.

The investment in Skype would be Microsoft's largest acquisition in the software giant's 36-year history. Microsoft's previous largest investment was the purchase of online ad service aQuantive, for which the company allocated six billion USD, in 2007.

Microsoft is investing more and more energy and funds in the field of mobile communication and the Internet, because the importance of desktop computers, on which Windows and Office are based, is increasingly coming into question.

By buying Skype, Microsoft would try to strengthen its position in the smartphone market.

Although Microsoft has a video chat option as a feature on its Windows Live Messenger, it is not available on mobile devices. On the other hand, Skype as an application can be used on iPhone, Blackberry and Android, but not on Microsoft phones. The video call option is a big hit among Apple and Google users, so Microsoft sees the purchase of Skype as a logical way to adapt to the new needs of users.

Skype has approximately 663 million users worldwide, who use the service for video and voice calls over a global network. Last year, 207 billion minutes of calls were made through the Skype network. About 8,8 million users pay on average monthly to use one of Skype's services. Most of those who use Skype do so because of the possibility of free conversations.

Although it makes billions from computer software, Microsoft is also used to losing money investing in projects to catch up with Google in the online search market. Microsoft offered 47,5 billion US dollars for the purchase of Yahoo three years ago. The offer was rejected, and today Yahoo is worth half of Microsoft's offer.

Internet auction house eBay bought Skype for 2,6 billion USD in 2005, and in 2009 sold the majority package in Skype to a group of investors led by the Silver Lake Partners fund, for XNUMX billion dollars. Among the investors are the Andreessen Horowitz fund, founded by Netscape co-founder Mark Andresen. By the way, he owns shares in LinkedIn and Twitter, and is a member of the boards of directors of Ebay and Facebook, as well as Ning.

It was previously reported that both Facebook and Google were thinking about connecting with Skype even earlier. At the time of those negotiations, Google reportedly valued Skype at between $3 billion and $4 billion, which is far less than what Microsoft is reportedly willing to offer.