Google announces Skype acquisition by April 1, 2009?

Yi-Wyn Yen — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:28 -0500

Judgment made on April 1, 2009: No Google announcement that a Skype acquisition was made, which means this prediction did not come true. The community got this right. -- The Industry Standard

eBay wants to get rid of Skype, the Internet telephone service it bought in 2005 for $3.1 billion. The question is, does Google want to buy Skype?

Tech bloggers are speculating that eBay is peddling Skype to Google and providing some armchair M&A analysis of Google + Skype synergies like adding Skype to the mobile Android operating system or into Gmail.

Google certainly has enough cash to take Skype off eBay's hands. The question remains is can they turn Skype into a major moneymaker or will Skype be YouTube 2.0?

Prediction: Google announces that it will acquire Skype from eBay by April 1, 2009. For a favorable judgment, Google needs to publicly state an intention to purchase Skype.

Update: Based on the recent launch of Google's free phone service Google Voice, the likelihood of a Skype acquisition is low so the Standard has moved up the original closing date of Aug. 31, 2009 to April 1, 2009.

Image: Ryan Fanshaw Photography/Flickr

Google announces Skype acquisition by April 1, 2009?

Yi-Wyn Yen — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:28 -0500

Judgment made on April 1, 2009: No Google announcement that a Skype acquisition was made, which means this prediction did not come true. The community got this right. -- The Industry Standard

eBay wants to get rid of Skype, the Internet telephone service it bought in 2005 for $3.1 billion. The question is, does Google want to buy Skype?

Google certainly has enough cash to take Skype off eBay's hands. The question remains is can they turn Skype into a major moneymaker or will Skype be YouTube 2.0?

Prediction: Google announces that it will acquire Skype from eBay by April 1, 2009. For a favorable judgment, Google needs to publicly state an intention to purchase Skype.

Image: Ryan Fanshaw Photography/Flickr

Google announces Skype acquisition by April 1, 2009?

Yi-Wyn Yen — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:28 -0500

Judgment made on April 1, 2009: No Google announcement that a Skype acquisition was made, which means this prediction did not come true. The community got this right. -- The Industry Standard

eBay wants to get rid of Skype, the Internet telephone service it bought in 2005 for $3.1 billion. The question is, does Google want to buy Skype?

Google certainly has enough cash to take Skype off eBay's hands. The question remains is can they turn Skype into a major moneymaker or will Skype be YouTube 2.0?

Prediction: Google announces that it will acquire Skype from eBay by April 1, 2009. For a favorable judgment, Google needs to publicly state an intention to purchase Skype.

Image: Ryan Fanshaw Photography/Flickr

Google announces Skype acquisition by April 1, 2009?

Yi-Wyn Yen — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:28 -0500

Judgment made on April 1, 2009: No Google announcement that a Skype acquisition was made, which means this prediction did not come true. The community got this right. -- The Industry Standard

eBay wants to get rid of Skype, the Internet telephone service it bought in 2005 for $3.1 billion. The question is, does Google want to buy Skype?

Google certainly has enough cash to take Skype off eBay's hands. The question remains is can they turn Skype into a major moneymaker or will Skype be YouTube 2.0?

Prediction: Google announces that it will acquire Skype from eBay by April 1, 2009. For a favorable judgment, Google needs to publicly state an intention to purchase Skype.

Image: Ryan Fanshaw Photography/Flickr