What started as a hobby became a worldwide phenomenon that showcased the spirit of entrepreneurship and the real potential of the Internet.įor eBay, the online business volumes were built up by a loyal group of users referred to as the 'eBay community', who sold and bought goods from each other over the Internet. With around 200 million registered users in June of 2006 and goods worth over US$ 1,381 being traded every second, eBay was widely regarded as one of the few success stories of the dot-com economy at the time. They have since capitalised on this opportunity.

The particular case primarily highlights the growth of the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) market and some of the initiatives taken up by leading online companies like Google Inc., Yahoo! Inc., and Microsoft Corporation. We will be discussing the rationale behind this acquisition and the debate regarding the pricing of the deal - we'll also cover the growth strategies adopted by eBay since its inception. In September of 2005, eBay acquired Skype, a growing Internet communications company, for US$ 2.6 billion.

Ebay skype credit