From: Steve Schear <s.schear@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: September 19, 2005 3:29:28 PM PDT
To: dewayne-net@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Gripes From Skype Users After eBay Buy-Out
Gripes From Skype Users After eBay Buy-Out
By Reuters
September 13, 2005
LONDON (Reuters) eBay's acquisition of Skype could be worth up to
$4.1 billion to investors in the Internet telephony start-up, but
it is getting mixed reviews from Skype's fervent supporters.
It was the hard-core Skype fans whose word-of-mouth advertising
helped it become the world's largest voice over Internet protocol
(VOIP) provider without spending a penny on marketing. It has some
54 million registered users and usually has more than 3.5 million
people online.
But the sale to eBay could signal the end of the evangelical zeal
from users that drove Skype's rapid growth. Its software which
offers free computer-to-computer calls between Skype users has
spread in classic viral fashion, as each new user convinces friends
and family to sign up.
In a poll on the forums, 69 percent of users said the acquisition
is not a good thing, compared with 23 percent in favor of the deal.
"In my opinion, the takeover by eBay means to me possibly and
probably the end of free Skype services. I anticipate a very bad
future for us here but I sincerely hope I am wrong," the Skype user
Alan2 wrote on Monday. Users also raised concerns that the purchase
of the Luxembourg-based Skype by a U.S. company could mean new
legal constraints on the service.
More at: <http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1858664,00.asp>