Microsoft just bought a messaging app from a former exec

By Saqib Shah December 22, 2015

Skype Bug — Bloomua/Shutterstock

Skype is about to get a bunch of new team chat and messaging features, thanks to Microsoft’s latest acquisition.

The tech giant just bought Talko — a messaging, calling, and conferencing app for mobile teams — for an undisclosed sum. The Talko service and its app were founded by Ray Ozzie, former chief technological officer and chief software architect at Microsoft.

Thank you, @talkoteam customers! I deeply appreciate your time, commitment, valuable feedback. Thru Skype, your impact will broadly be felt.

— Ray Ozzie (@rozzie) December 21, 2015

The Talko team are set to join Skype to help deliver new features and capabilities for the Microsoft-owned VoIP service. According to Talko, the deal will allow it to leverage its technology, design, and development to reach a larger audience than was possible on its own.

“Talko was largely on the path to filling a (passionate) niche. We’re in this to have great impact, so it’s time for a change,” states an announcement on the company’s website.

That same post indicates that Talko will be winding down its service on the path to complete closure by March 2016. Current users are assured that all previous Talko conversations — including voice, text, and photos — will be made available upon request as simple downloadable files.

“I welcome the new team members and am excited about how Talko will fuel more innovation at Microsoft,” said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president, Skype. “Whether it is enhancing the way family members stay in touch with Skype or building on the new Skype for Business services within Office 365.”

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has acquired a product created by Ray Ozzie. A decade ago the company bought Groove Networks, a startup founded by Ozzie that was geared toward computer-assisted collaboration, reports Fortune. Ozzie, who Bill Gates once referred to as one of the greatest programmers on the planet, joined Microsoft off the back of the deal.

The Talko acquisition, however, won’t see Ozzie return to the Microsoft fold. “I remain a builder, and I love helping great product teams have broad impact with their work. Looking forward to figuring out what’s next,” he told Fortune of his plans via email.

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Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…

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