Information Research Weblog

So - it's finally official: eBay buys Skype for $2.6 billion in cash and eBay stock. But what is eBay going to do with its purchase? By the look of things on the Skype Website, it seems that the founders (Zennström and Friis) will be staying with the company and reporting to the eBay CEO, Meg Whitman, although that article in Vanity Fair that I mentioned seemed to suggest that they have further projects in mind for themselves.

eBay clearly sees where the advantage of the Skype link lies:

Online shopping depends on a number of factors to function well. Communications, like payments and shipping, is a critical part of this process. Skype will streamline and improve communications between buyers and sellers as it is integrated into the eBay marketplace. Buyers will gain an easy way to talk to sellers quickly and get the information they need to buy, and sellers can more easily build relationships with customers and close sales. As a result, Skype can increase the velocity of trade on eBay, especially in categories that require more involved communications such as used cars, business and industrial equipment, and high-end collectibles.

However, does this mean that Skype users who are not eBay users are going to be pestered by sellers? With Skype central to what is essentially an e-commerce activity, perhaps I'll switch to Google Talk!