Skype has announced last week 26 that a corruption occurred in a small percentage of users' systems that resulted in some of its community not being able to sign in to Skype.

"We issued some instructions which would allow you to get back online, but understand that they're fairly technical, and have been working hard to produce a version of Skype for Windows which fixes this problem automatically," Peter Parkes said on behalf of Skype.
"If you're using Skype for Windows, and have experienced problems logging in, please update Skype to the latest version now."
Skype plans to release an update to Skype for Mac on May 27.

Skype users mobile, TV or other device, have not been affected by this problem, and should continue to be able to sign in as normal.
Founded in 2003 and based in Luxembourg, Skype breaks down barriers in communication with a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chats over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system. Skype has also become popular for its additional features, which include instant messaging, file transfer, and video conferencing.

Skype had an average of 145 million connected users per month in the fourth quarter of 2010. Skype users made 207 billion minutes of voice and video calls in 2010, 42% of which was video. Skype has 663 million registered users as of 2010.

On May 10, 2011, Microsoft announced it had agreed to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion. The price Microsoft agreed to pay for the company is 32 times Skype's operating profits.