Recently, I stumbled into Dan York’s blog that spoke about the longevity of Skype. How much longer will Skype remain relevant? 6 months? 3 years? 5 years?
Skype Logo
When Skype came out it was undoubtedly a disruptor to the phone business as it offered society something that could only be accessible to the rich. From video calls to free international phone calls, Skype continued to innovate. However, it was interesting to see that York believe that Skype is simply a tool now and is no longer something to say “wow” about. He believe it has gotten to the point where it is part of everyday life. After doing my own extensive research on Skype and the industry they’re in, I would have to agree.
With Skype’s 300 million users worldwide, they had the chance to be the next Facebook or Google, instead they failed to continue to be ahead of the curve. Their whole industry is now redefined as competitors like FaceTime and Google Hangout have become upgrades to what Skype is.
Skype’s competition
So what happened?
With Skype’s 300 million users worldwide, they had the chance to be the next Facebook or Google, instead they failed to continue to be ahead of the curve. I believe that Skype was stuck in the superiority trap where they relied on their current success and failed to look at the longer term. Now, their whole industry is now redefined as competitors like FaceTime and Google Hangout have become upgrades to what Skype is. Ten years ago, Skype was the disruptor, but now will Skype be disrupted by a new entrant? York believes they may be disrupted and has little hope that Skype can rebound. However, I believe differently as I still have hope that Skype will surprise us; they are still the company that single handedly disrupted the means of how society communicates. Skype just hit their ten year anniversary, it’s better late than never for them to rebound from this nadir.
Bibliography
Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://dc942d419843af05523b-ff74ae13537a01be6cfec5927837dcfe.r14.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/Video-chat-services-logos.jpg>.
Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <https://lh5.ggpht.com/1CxNUEdzrREikWZoaHIU5J63x2gOxTb7R-ZIbJd51uPBFt0jUj8AX2bMOhKiIBcuAqtH=w300>.
Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.darcyandbrian.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/skype-features.jpg>.
“10 Years Of Skype – Massive Disruption… But Will Skype Remain Relevant? – Disruptive Telephony.” ‘Disruptive Telephony’ Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.disruptivetelephony.com/2013/08/10-years-of-skype-massive-disruption-but-will-skype-remain-relevant.html>.