Skype is a very special brand for AM Navigator<\/a>. It was our very first major client. Launched in 2003, Skype quickly gained momentum, and wishing to continue the up-and-to-the-right trend, they contacted us to take their business to a new level through affiliate marketing<\/a><\/em>. In late 2006, we had an in-person in London, after which AM Navigator was contracted to build Skype\u2019s newly-launched affiliate marketing program.<\/p>\n Those were still the early days of affiliate marketing, and I was at the helm of this client\u2019s affiliate program, personally building both the program and Skype\u2019s brand. It was a fun ride that eventually led to Skype\u2019s acquisition by Microsoft<\/a> in 2011 for $8.5 billion.<\/p>\n Fast-forward nine years, and the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> hits the world. By then, Skype\u2019s share of the market had already shrunk substantially. The world was already actively using such smartphone-native apps as FaceTime, WhatsApp, Viber, and even Telegram. Furthermore, we already had Zoom and Microsoft Teams launched by Skype\u2019s parent company in late 2016<\/a>.<\/p>\n Unlike its aforementioned competitors, Skype did not come out of the pandemic as a winner. It\u2019s been fading out before our very eyes. So, today\u2019s news is hardly a surprise.<\/p>\n It\u2019s bittersweet news for AM Navigator, nonetheless.<\/p>\n Goodbye, Skype, and thank you for helping us prove, in your early days, how potent affiliate marketing can be for building a brand. The rest of your story is soon to become history.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.amnavigator.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/skype.jpg\")
This morning, some interesting news hit the wires: Microsoft announced that it will shut down Skype<\/a> on May 5, 2025.<\/p>\n