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An acquisition so wild and crazy, they had to do it again. And again. Ben & David cover tech\u2019s perhaps most-traded asset, Skype (which also happens to be a fantastic business). How do we even know which deal to grade? Tune in to find out\u2026\xa0

Sponsors:
ServiceNow: https://bit.ly/acquiredsn
Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24
Vanta: https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta

• Community spotlight: Slack community member Swyx\u2019s financial data research startup Sentieo!\xa0
• Skype founders Niklas Zennstr\xf6m and Janus Friis\u2019s meeting in the 1990\u2019s at Swedish telecom company Tele2
• Zennstr\xf6m & Friis\u2019s introduction to talented Estonian developers Jaan Tallinn, Ahti Heinla, and Priit Kasesalu as part of Tele2\u2019s efforts to jump into the dot com \u201cportal mania\u201d\xa0
• Skype\u2019s origins in the technology powering Zennstr\xf6m, Friis and the Estonians\u2019 first startup endeavor together: the peer-to-peer file sharing platform Kazaa
• The \u201ccomplicated\u201d legal, technological and ownership situation for Kazaa and Skype\xa0
• Skype\u2019s \u201cunique\u201d corporate culture, including a swimming pool in the board room and shots for initiating new employees\xa0
• The \xa0first Skype acquisition: eBay\u2019s 2005 deal to acquire the company for $2.6B, just two years after launch
• Culture clash between eBay and Skype management, and further legal drama regarding Skype technology ownership post-acquisition
• The \xa0second Skype acquisition: eBay\u2019s 2009 decision to spin the company out to a private investor consortium including Silver Lake and the newly-formed Andreessen Horowitz\xa0
• \xa0The third (and final?) Skype acquisition: Microsoft\u2019s $8.5B purchase of the company in 2011
• Skype as a \u201ccrossover\u201d product with viable market opportunities both in consumer and enterprise
• Bill Gurley\u2019s \u201cKeys to the 10X Revenue Club\u201d and the power of Skype\u2019s organic customer acquisition model

\xa0 Followups:\xa0

• \xa0The Google iPhone\u2026 err, Pixel!\xa0

\xa0 Hot Takes:\xa0

• \xa0AT&T\u2019s $85B mega-acquisition of Time Warner\u2026 making America great again, or rebuilding the T-1000?\xa0
• \xa0The New York Times acquiring The Wirecutter

\xa0 The Carve Out:\xa0

• Ben: Sam Altman\u2019s Manifest Destiny
• David: \xa0SOMA the Musical starring our very own Acquired listener, the brilliant and talented Jake Saper!