The news follows recent rumors that Skype’s founders were attempting to put together an investment group to buy back the company from eBay. That plan appears to have never materialized, as eBay is instead opting to take Skype to the public markets.
On its own, Skype is a quickly growing company, though, that growth has slowed somewhat in recent months as the Internet telephone service has run into the laws of large numbers. In total, there are currently more than 400 million Skype users, and the company generated $551 million in revenue in 2008.
Much like StumbleUpon, Skype didn't really fit into eBay's main businesses - auctions and payments (PayPal) - and the company has acknowledged as such for some time. The company's CEO, John Donahoe, reiterated that again in today's announcement, saying "it’s clear that Skype has limited synergies with eBay and PayPal. We believe operating Skype as a stand-alone publicly traded company is the best path for maximizing its potential."