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On Monday, eBay said it would take a $900 million so-called impairment write-down against the value of Skype. This means that eBay has been forced to reassess the value of the Internet telephony company relative to its overall business today. By recording a charge, the company is essentially saying that it has taken a loss on its original investment. In what looks like an attempt to shake things up at Skype and move the division in a new direction, eBay also said Monday that Skype co-founder and Chief Executive Niklas Zennstrom has stepped down.
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Some of those who sell merchandise through the Internet auctioneer's Web site recently have called for drastic action and management change at the San Jose, Calif., company. They are particularly upset at the deterioration in the company's flagship auction site, where they say they are seeing fewer transactions and declining sale prices. "EBay's core (auction) performance is suffering tremendously," says Steve Grossberg, a longtime videogame seller on eBay. He says he now lists an item four times on average in order to sell it, up from two listings two years ago. Adds Andy Mowery, an eBay seller of home and garden gear: "It is time for new leadership at eBay."