Microsoft did not abandon Skype despite successful Teams

Despite the recent success of Teams, Microsoft insists it has no intention of giving up on Skype to support Teams as people are concerned.

According to Neowin , the Covid-19 pandemic saw an increase in the use of video calling applications such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. In particular, Microsoft's free offering of Teams for customers has left the Skype application behind.

Skype is a service acquired by Microsoft in October 2011 but the company has not updated its Skype user statistics since August 2015. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, Skype was supposed to have the opportunity to attract users, but the lack of many features such as rival services, including Teams, made Skype vulnerable.

However, in an interview with Venturebeat , Microsoft 365 Vice President (CVP) Jeff Teper confirmed that the company plans to continue investing in Skype. Mr. Teper compared Teams and Skype's services to Facebook to say that the company doesn't force people to switch from one app to another. Similarly, Microsoft is also working on new features for both Skype and Teams with the promise of early deployment.

The report shows that Skype has seen an increase in usage since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, where Microsoft recorded a 70% increase from Skype usage in March 2020, despite the company. Do not share exact numbers.

Regarding Yammer's status - the service has been integrated into Teams, Mr. Teper noted that this is still an important business tool and the company witnessed an increase in Yammer usage. He also pointed out the difference between Yammer and Teams, and the fact that they both serve different subjects.

At Build 2020, Microsoft announced a number of new features for Teams, including Power Platform integration, Bookings application integration . Now, Mr. Teper confirmed that the company will continue to invest in Skype in addition to the Plan with Teams.