One thing is for sure: eBay, a disaster of an Internet company, really wants to rectify its megabillion-dollar mistake and get rid of Skype — even if it means taking a small haircut. But eBay CEO John Donahoe thinks the company is worth much more than $2 billion figure being thrown around by analysts, calling that valuation “low.” He is ignoring the fact that eBay doesn’t own the core IP for Skype and is in a legal tussle with founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis. Of course, eBay spent $2.6 billion on Skype, so one can’t expect Donahoe to publicly admit that they got suckered and overpaid.
eBay hopes to spin out Skype in 2010. I chatted with Sarah Lacy on Yahoo Tech Ticker earlier this week (watch the video) about Skype’s IPO and why it could be a strong offering, unless of course the founders show up with a bunch of cash to buy it back. The company has been posting strong growth in recent months.
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