Skype? Steve Ballmer Discovers a Way to Obliterate Eight and a Half Billion Microsoft Shareholder Dollars!
That's $8,500,000,000USD for the Skype brand.
Also, because, you know, the aQuantive acquisition didn't destroy enough shareholder money.
We're bringing Skype to the Windows Phone. Just like how it's on the iPhone and Android and appears it will continue to be.
Okay, so we're bringing Skype to the Xbox. Because, you know, we don't already have video chat on the Xbox. Oh, wait... crap. Why do we need this? Other than the brand and the user base, and that's not worth 8.5 billion dollars.
Some early stories:
- Mr. Jay Greene at CNet: Microsoft betting Skype keeps it ahead of Google, Apple Microsoft - CNET News
- Ms. Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion; creates new business division ZDNet
- Mr. Todd Bishop: Skype and Kinect could be Microsoft’s new killer combo - GeekWire
What I'd like to hear is each Microsoft board member share their reasoning why this is an excellent idea and worth 8.5 billion dollars. And I'd keep a really, really close eye on their nose.
Geez.
