Skype’s Been On the Block For Nine Months. That Means It’s Time to Leak
Two can play the game of press leaks. If you read between the lines of yesterday’s reports on eBay’s potential divestitures of Skype, it appears both sides of the deal might be using the media to influence pricing. Before I get into it, I want to mention that a private equity investor told me his firm first received the Skype pitch around nine months ago. The inquiry was led by Mark Dyne of Europlay Capital Advisors. You may remember that name from Skype’s initial sale to eBay—Dyne was a member of Skype’s board (he didn't return calls for comment). My source’s firm passed on the deal because Skype isn’t profitable, he said. The company’s profitability has been debated, but it had $550 million in revenues last year, according to its annual report. So, The New York Times broke the news, reporting that Skype’s founders had been talking with private equity backers to help them buy the company back from eBay. The crucial pricing details are:
