Skype is owned by Microsoft

The giant pays a record $ 8 and a half billion in cash.

Microsoft has also officially announced the acquisition of Skype, extending the company's real-time Internet communications services. With this move, Redmond wants to integrate Skype technology into many of its products, such as Xbox, Windows Phone, Outlook and Lync. The development of Skype will continue to be led by Tony Bates, and it has been emphasized that platform independence will be maintained, although there is speculation on some sites that although it will appear on all platforms, new features, especially WinPhone, may be available sooner. so they will try to put their own mobile a little ahead of iOS and Android phones. The acquisition is also outstanding because Microsoft has offered an absolute record amount in the IT sector, which is exactly $ 8,5 billion, an amount that no analyst had expected. The official announcement can be found on the source page.

Pictured are Steve Ballmer (left), CEO of Microsoft, and Tony Bates (right), head of Skype