My Emotional Journey with Skype

Personal and Profesional stories Part 1/3

It’s official, after two decades of service, Skype will ring for the last time on May 5, as Microsoft announced last week.

I can't help but feel deeply moved by this news, as I share a strong emotional connection with this product. I dedicate this newsletter, as well as the following two, to sharing my personal stories and emotional connection with Skype.

Skype was not just a product to make calls, whenever I evoque Skype I immediately think about the iconic ringtone, the characteristic blue, the joyful emojis, but also the simplicity, and easy of use of the product. Skype was designed to connect with our emotion.

In 2005, I packed my bags, left my home country, and moved to France to study electrical engineering in Grenoble. It was an exciting adventure, but one filled with challenges, none greater than being far from my family and loved ones. Moving away taught me many things, but the hardest lesson was how complex it could be to stay connected with the people who mattered most, especially at such an early age.

Back then, international calls were ridiculously expensive, especially for a student like me. Writing letters felt outdated for someone living in the age of the internet. Luckily, there was Skype.

Skype wasn’t just a communication tool—it was a lifeline. One year later Skype introduced video calling, it completely changed how I stayed connected. Suddenly, I wasn’t just hearing my loved ones’ voices—I could see their faces, watch their smiles, and feel like I was right there with them, even from thousands of miles away. It was magic. I could join family birthdays, see my best friend’s wedding, and share special moments that otherwise would have felt lost.

Fast forward to 2014. Life came full circle when I joined Skype as a Video Product Manager. That year, my team worked on enabling group video calls on mobile—a milestone in helping people connect in deeper, more meaningful ways. I remember testing it with friends and family, feeling the same joy I had experienced years before when I first used Skype to bridge the gap between me and my loved ones.

To me, Skype was never just about technology; it was about emotion. It brought people closer in ways that felt deeply human. Even though I don’t use Skype as much these days, its impact remains a part of my story.