Skype Is Secretly Struggling, Ex Microsoft Employees Claim

Skype may be silently struggling under the tutelage of Microsoft. This is what former employees are saying amid complaints that the video chat and voice call app has gotten worse through time.

Back in 2016, Skype posted a total of 300 million users. Flash forward to the present time, the company has yet to update the figure while analysts suspect the numbers may have already fallen flat in a span of almost a year and a half.

Two former Microsoft employees have reached out to Bloomberg recently and said that there’s actually a sense of panic at Skype because employees feel the unit is falling. The ex employees, who requested to remain anonymous, claimed that confidential statistics as of 2017 revealed the number of Skype users still hasn’t surpassed the 300 million mark.

Downloads of the Skype app for Android OS reached 1 billion last October. However, Microsoft is keeping mum on the number of people who are actively logging on to use Skype’s services.

The revelation comes amid numerous complaints from users who are voicing their dissatisfaction over Skype’s services. Negative reviews are plaguing the app both on Apple’s App Store and the Google Play store. Most complaints sprang from the app’s poor call quality and its excessive battery demand.

Two months ago, tech investor and commentator Om Malik voiced out his disappointment over Skype via Twitter, saying, “It is unbelievable that @microsoft took what was an amazing product and turned it into a turd of the highest quality. Way to ruin @Skype and its experience. I was forced to use it today, but never again.”

Malik’s tweet got approval from some users who were also not happy with what Skype has turned into. Entrepreneur, investor and inventor Paul Bieganski commented: “Totally agree — case study in how to slowly and methodically destroy the user experience. EVERY ‘upgrade’ manages to make it even worse.”

Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion. The internet tool that more than a decade ago introduced the functionality of making calls online has seen drastic changes since. At present, Microsoft is using Skype for Business to help sell its cloud-based Office 365 software to consumers.

Bloomberg says Microsoft has basically turned Skype into a replacement for a corporate telephone system masked by the trappings of modern instant messaging and social networking services. In effect, Microsoft has undeniably prioritized corporations over general users.

Of course, some would argue that Microsoft has separate apps for corporations and consumers. The problem here though surpasses that notion. Microsoft is keeping two separate apps alive, but the underlying technology in both apps are the same. Both apps are developed with workers in mind.