According to comments from John Donahoe, who took over popular online auction site eBay at the end of last month, the company will consider selling off its Skype internet phone subsidiary at the end of this year if it fails to find ways to use the fast-growing service to support its core e-commerce business. Donahoe's statement is the most direct indication yet that Ebay is thinking of scrapping the under-performing acquisition; it paid $3.1 billion, but wrote down the value of the business by $1.4 billion last year after concluding it would not match earlier hopes.
"What we're testing this year are the synergies," Mr Donahoe told the Financial Times this week after Ebay reported its latest earnings. "If the synergies are strong, we'll keep it in our portfolio. If not, we'll reassess it." That could lead to the disposal of the business, he indicated.
View: Full Story at the Financial Times
"What we're testing this year are the synergies," Mr Donahoe told the Financial Times this week after Ebay reported its latest earnings. "If the synergies are strong, we'll keep it in our portfolio. If not, we'll reassess it." That could lead to the disposal of the business, he indicated.
View: Full Story at the Financial Times
Must be great to be working at Skype right now
I wonder what their plans were... :-S
You googist!
You googist!
Racist is an overused term. Some are using it where it has absolutely no baring. To continue to do so will eventually make it lose all meaning.
Sounds too much like horoscope than business sense. Why can't someone put their hand up and say what all of us were thinking "Ebay and Skype? Together? That makes absolutely no bloody sense..."
Sounds too much like horoscope than business sense. Why can't someone put their hand up and say what all of us were thinking "Ebay and Skype? Together? That makes absolutely no bloody sense..."
True, that was my first reaction; then again, they could turn it into the way to bring together buyers and sellers via Skype; selling Skype to online sellers who could use it as their primary business phone. There are many variances of that, but I don't think it really helps Ebay's selling model at all.
anyways, jokes aside... I never understood why ebay wanted skype... yeah voice chat with a seller seems ok, but in pratice not so great
I now have 5 separate lines of two providers all with local area code numbers, 2 for London/UK, 1 for Milan/Italy and 2 for Cagliari/Italy (Where I'm based) a virtual switchboard for my hosting business and all have voicemail. I use three Ericsson Gigaset 450 IP phones which are DECT connected to one base-station which can have up to 8 VOIP lines and a land line.
I use the skype service on a phone.
would be ashamed if it closed. But maybe www.magicjack.com might be an alternative to cheap VOIP services.
without the hassle of setting up an Asterix box
Skype has saved me a fortune on Overseas calls.
Google. Fighting online privacy since... well, ever.
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