Ebay: Skype sale to investor group
The online auction house Ebay has sold its loss-making Internet telephony subsidiary after around four years. A 65 percent stake was sold to a group of financial investors led by Netscape founder Marc Andreesen.
The online auction house Ebay has sold its loss-making Internet telephony subsidiary after around four years. A 65 percent stake was sold to a group of financial investors led by Netscape founder Marc Andreesen. Nevertheless, the company has failed to exploit the potential of one of the world's largest communities, says brand expert Markus Hübner, Managing Director of Brandflow, in an interview with Pressetext.com. eBay will be very angry about this.
The Group will now receive around 1.9 billion dollars from the investor consortium, but invested around 3.1 billion dollars in the Skype purchase in 2005. The remaining 35 percent of Skype is to remain in eBay's possession.
Although the company has seen a significant increase in Skype customers over the past four years, jumping from 50 million to over 400 million, Web 2.0 world market leader Facebook only has less than 300 million members by comparison. Skype is also valued at a total of 2.75 billion dollars according to Pressetext.com, but had to write down its telephone business by 1.4 billion dollars in 2007 alone.
The Group will now receive around 1.9 billion dollars from the investor consortium, but invested around 3.1 billion dollars in the Skype purchase in 2005. The remaining 35 percent of Skype is to remain in eBay's possession.
Although the company has seen a significant increase in Skype customers over the past four years, jumping from 50 million to over 400 million, Web 2.0 world market leader Facebook only has less than 300 million members by comparison. Skype is also valued at a total of 2.75 billion dollars according to Pressetext.com, but had to write down its telephone business by 1.4 billion dollars in 2007 alone.
