ebay pays $2.8 billion for skype - Webmaster Forums UK SEO SEM Webmaster Community Forum

temi · #1 (**permalink**) 09-12-2005, 03:46 PM

auction site eBay has agreed to buy internet telephone company Skype Technologies in a $2.6bn (Ã‚Â£1.4bn) deal.
eBay said it would pay half the amount in cash and the other half in stocks to create "an unparalleled e-commerce and communications engine".

Skype's software lets PC users talk to each other for free and make cut-price calls to mobiles and landlines.

full story/source: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4237338.stm

#2 (**permalink**) 09-13-2005, 03:44 PM

eBay could quite easily have developed its own voice service, perhaps they've paid hefty price.

temi · #3 (**permalink**) 09-13-2005, 06:29 PM

ebay is a cash rich company, why not trow some of it around if you have it eh?

#4 (**permalink**) 09-13-2005, 06:52 PM

their shares went up by 1.5%, so they did get some immediate bonus for the move.

The only downside was the critisism that ebay could have developed the technongy themselves and saved a bandle.

#5 (**permalink**) 09-14-2005, 12:15 PM

Let us see exactly what possible new and unusual ideas eBay will come up.