Skype Technologies S.A. ·  Luxembourg Luxembourg

Skype Technologies knows that the idea of using your computer to make free telephone calls isn't just mere hype. The company's popular Web-based software allows users to make phone calls using the Internet. Calls are free when made PC-to-PC, and users can make calls to landlines or cell phones at typically much lower rates than traditional phone services. Co-founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis launched Skype in 2003; two years later they sold the company to eBay for $2.6 billion. Unable to leverage Skype with its other offerings, in November 2009 eBay sold a 70% stake in Skype to a private investor group lead by Silver Lake Partners for $1.9 billion in cash. To read the full description, subscribe now.