Skype Takeover: What’s in It for Entrepreneurs?

$8.5 billion worth of a deal. We are talking about Skype: Microsoft’s most recent acquisition.
So what does this move mean? And what’s in it for entrepreneurs?

You can find a few thoughts on this and other questions in the recent Forbes blog post by MBI professor Tom Taulli.

“(…) Microsoft’s M&A history has been spotty. Perhaps the biggest problem is the company’s Soviet-style bureaucracy. And given that Skype has had several owners over the years, there is likely to be disruption. Consider that the company recently hired a new CEO, which delayed its public offering.”

One thing’s for sure. Microsoft couldn’t keep pace with the technological shift toward mobile devices. Apple and Google are quite a few steps ahead.

The questions are: Will Skype be enough for Microsoft to push its Windows Phone 7 operating system? What other synergy opportunities are there out there for Microsoft?

Who will develop and own the most powerful video calling and conferencing system of the future? A good question to ask, considering that in Google’s view the Skype peer-to-peer is ‘old technology‘ that it would have to rewrite.

Taulli’s main point is the most relevant take-away: This story means a lot for entrepreneurs.
“The days of high-value exits are not gone.”

Who will be the creator of the post-Skype communications company? Who’s next in line?

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La imagen superior es de Mark McLaughlin. Fue tomada de flickr siguiendo una licencia de Creative Commons.