Dark Clouds over Skype?

[mandy]

Despite the general euphoria about Skype’s retail launch in the US, there are some disturbing developments in the Skype-world that make you wonder about the future of eBay-Skype integration.

Andy Abramson...has dug-up information that some Skypers’ are headed to the exits...

...it is ironic that there has been a steady trickle out of eBay and many departing executives have questioned the wisdom of the deal. The scariest part is not the exodus but the changing culture of Skype.

full article: http://gigaom.com/2005/11/25/dark-clouds-over-skype

[mandy]

"Another closely aligned advisor to Skype continues to shake his head in wonderment at they way things are being done and how many, if not almost all of the successful aspects of Skype's culture are being dismantled by eBay's leadership team. There is this almost Borg like eBayization of Skype in process...

...accounts of new managers brought in by eBay, who are starting to exhibit "power hungry" and "micro-management" tendencies, geographical separation between Skype's London-based  braintrust and eBay's California-based headquarters, and software releases that may have come out of the womb a bit too soon.

full article: http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=783

So lets add up what's happening:

1. Disgruntled programmers who are likely ready to bolt
2. A disfunctional, cross cultural chasm being formed between eBay's team and Skype's
3. Software that's not as good as what it replaces, with sizzle, not steak being hyped
4. Media agreements that don't have any teeth and that get broken at will
5. A basic growing undercurrent in the technology, investment and user sectors about just what's going on.

eBay's more experienced managers better get a handle on what they bought fast, not try and force their culture too quickly onto Skype.

full article: http://andyabramson.blogs.com/voipwatch/...bout_.html

Is Skype losing it?

Those two pillars supporting the deal are not carved in stone, however. The first -- the power of the Skype brand -- is a very fickle thing, since it rests on a service that is not only free but one that can be duplicated relatively easily. Obviously, free services in a highly competitive market can succeed (Google is an obvious example, although it has proprietary search algorithms) but the risks are high, particularly in the on-line world, where the consumer's allegiance can shift almost overnight.

And what about the second pillar -- the idea that Skype could be integrated with eBay's auctions to allow a “click to call” feature that would connect buyer and seller? That is still a question mark, and one which recently grew larger, after the head of a leading eBay “power sellers” group said that he and his members didn't see any benefit to using Skype. Combine that with speculation about how eBay is taking over the VOIP company's management, and that $4.1-billion bet the auction company made looks even larger.

full article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/s.../Business/

related topic: Even eBay's PeSA Lap Dogs Are Shunning Skype As A Sales Tool  http://community.tuliptools.com/index.ph...518.0.html