Connecting the world

Managing innovation - creating value from ideas

Skype is no more. The familiar blue and white logo has quietly disappeared, retired by Microsoft back in May. But this was always much more than a powerful piece of software; it was an innovation which changed the world. In this podcast we explore the surprising origins of Skype, from music compression in a German PhD student's lab to file-sharing turmoil with Kazaa. Join us as we unravel how Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis transformed peer-to-peer technology into a global communication giant, making international calls virtually free. We’ll explore Skype's meteoric rise, its eventual "retirement" by Microsoft, and the profound lessons it offers about disruptive innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and why some good ideas eventually fade, leaving behind a powerful legacy.

You can find a transcript here