Index Ventures?
Where they not the original backers of Skype in the very early days?
If so its interesting that the re structuring has put them off.
A legal row that threatened the existence of Skype has been settled, with the free net phone service's founders regaining a significant portion of the firm from eBay. Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis will get 14 per cent of Skype and seats on its board under the deal, announced today. In return the pair will make a " …
I'd have to say I'm not a big fan of these arrogant fuc*monkeys. I met them in a restaurant in Luxembourg once - rude arrogant fuckers both. It's fucked-up that eBay and their lawyers weren't switched on enough to sop the obvious gaps - overpaid clowns in suits. However with the daylight robbery that the U$2.6Bn was, they've made well enough money out of the piss+wind that is Skype.
Let's hope they give it to charity - right thing to do.
God bless 'em. I don't like the closed-proprietary nature, but I have to say Skype is a great product. I've lived in parts of the world where I'd otherwise have to pay $$/hr, but Skype worked beautifully instead. And when eBay bought it, I knew they'd fuck it up. These guys made their money *and* kept control. If they didn't I bet it would be plastered with ads by now, cost a fortune, and drop calls.
So, you were a waiter in a restaurant, and they didn't give you a tip, and you're sorely pissed,STILL.
I don't think El Reg readers really give 2 flying fu++s about your gripes.
On the other hand, remarkable acumen by Joltid to shaft eBay, twice, for the same item. Perhaps there are lessons to be learnt from these people. Jay, maybe you should pay more attention to your clientele, not all tips come in monetary fashion, perhaps you brush up on your Jeffery Archer, dear boy.
"If they didn't [keep control] I bet [Skype] would be plastered with ads by now, cost a fortune and drop calls."
Not so sure about that. If anything, I suspect Zennström and Friis had little control over Skype after eBay bought it. If they did then think what the people who also created the spyware-riddled KaZaA could have done to your systems by now...