Poll: what should eBay do with Skype?
Henry Blodget of Silicon Valley Insider comments on the departure of Skype CEO Nilklas Zennstrom today, as well as what he terms eBay taking a $1.4 billion asset-impairment charge, Henry notes:
Skype has missed the targets Zennstrom and his team set at the time of the sale. Thus, eBay will only pay $530 million of the potential $1.7 billion earnout (some small consolation).
He then takes a look at the bigger picture. Essentially Henry tells eBay to cut and run:
Skype is rapidly surrendering its early dominance of soft-phone VOIP to other more focused competitors, and if it stays within the eBay fold, we think further write-downs will be in the offing. Skype was a $2-$4 billion eBay hail-Mary pass, and it just officially fell incomplete. eBay should just acknowledge that and move on.
OK, say you are eBay:
[poll id=151]