eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Not surprisingly, eBay Inc.s multibillion-dollar deal to acquire Skype suddenly thrust Skype, and VOIP, into the limelight. But what does this mean for a company that started off as a cool way to chat across the Internet? ExtremeVOIPs Mark Hachman sat down with Skypes head of developer relations, Lenn Pryor—virtually, of course, across a Skype connection—to ask about the companys integration plans, Skype as a development platform, and how Skype will migrate from the PC and to the mobile phone.
EXTREMEVOIP: The first question is one that everyone is dying to know: Did you in your wildest dreams think that Skype was going to be worth that amount of money?
PRYOR: Well, were always very bullish on our companys future. From our perspective the valuation of the deal was based on what the market was willing to bear, but weve always been extremely bullish on our potential and our future. We see great growth in our user base, and growth in our basic services and were barely months old as a company, probably more like 18 months as a functional company, and I think were pleased with the growth weve got and we think were on track for our revenue targets for the future. From that perspective, were very pleased.
For a long time, Skypes been seen as this sort of cool, free application that you can use to talk to your friends or family over the Internet. Over time, its evolved to add capabilities like connectivity to traditional phone services through SkypeIn and SkypeOut, a developer program, a services program, and now the acquisition and upcoming integration with eBay. In your own words, what is Skype today?