Yesterday, Microsoft quietly retired Skype.
I found out through a newsletter from Om Malik — whose words I’ve long admired.
Skype, R.I.P. — you were an amazing, joyful part of my internet journey. Even my mom would agree!
I too agree. The news felt like it was more than just a headline.
Skype, that digital lifeline from another era, is now officially an internet relic. It feels strange to mourn a piece of software, but Skype was more than that. For many of us, it was the tool that made global connection possible. Free calls over the internet? In the early 2000s, that felt like science fiction.
Weirdly, my first ever post on WordPress — on this very blog — was about discovering Skype in October 2005. I’m not sure if it was the thrill of this new software that nudged me to start blogging, or if it just happened to be the news on the day I wp-admin/install.php‘ed.
A post marvelling at the idea that you could make voice calls over the internet. On a 90kbps “wireless internet connection”. The sound it made when you hung up — that unmistakable bloop-bloop — is still burned into memory.
Skype wasn’t just a novelty. It was the backbone of WooThemes. It’s how Adii (in Cape Town), Magnus (in Norway) and myself (in London) birthed our theming partnership. It’s where we brainstormed product names, shipped code, and plotted our next moves. Skype was even the platform on which we negotiated the sale of our company to Automattic. Big moments. All on a humble voice-over-IP app with a ringtone that now feels like nostalgia itself.
So yeah — it’s weirdly sad.
But there’s something poetic about it too. A reminder of how fast things move. And perhaps a nudge to not let this blog fall into the same category of digital fossils. This site’s been quiet lately — dust has gathered. But in light of Skype’s farewell, I feel inspired to breathe some life back into it.
Don’t expect miracles. I’m not promising a publishing schedule. Just a whisper of intent: to show up here from time to time. To remember, to reflect, and to keep the connection alive.
Adios Skype. Bloop-bloop.