Skype Turns 10 Years Old: Milestones of a Global Video-Chat Service

 By 
Vignesh Ramachandran
 on 
Skype Turns 10 Years Old: Milestones of a Global Video-Chat Service

You would have to be 2.6 million years old to have been part of every single Skype call since the video-chat service launched in 2003. Since its founding, Skype -- which marked its 10th anniversary on Thursday -- has become a household name worldwide.

This year, its users spent a combined two billion minutes a day using the platform -- reportedly enough time to watch 16 million movies, according to the service.

Skype has an interesting history, including Microsoft's $8.5 billion acquisition of the company in 2011. For its part, the service says it has connected people beyond everyday conversations: A soldier watched his baby being born over Skype, a Skype call was made from the top of Mount Everest and a couple got married over Skype.

In celebration of Skype's 10th anniversary, comedian Mark Malkoff recently took on a challenge that had him chat with people in 162 countries using Skype. The conversations were documented in a light-hearted video.

Check out the following infographic, provided by Skype, which highlights some of the company's milestones from the past 10 years.

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Which video-chat service do you use? Share your preferences in the comments.

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