The New York Times is reporting that eBay has concluded a deal to sell Skype. Sources close to the deal say it is to be announced later today. No price has yet been disclosed (nor is it likely to be, IMHO).
The NYT was also told that eBay was negotiating with Google to buy Skype, but that Google walked away from the deal, worried that current legal fights over the technology on which Skype is based could leave it liable for huge damages, and that owning Skype would alienate wireless carriers who sell phones using Google’s Android software.
Updated to add: It’s been confirmed that eBay is to sell a 65% stake in Skype for $2.75bn to an investor group led by Silver Lake and including Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Investment Board. This looks like a pretty good deal for eBay.
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