Facebook, the social networking giant that is swimming in money and fully intends to rule the world (it must first overcome China though, perhaps that is why getting a Chinese girlfriend is part of the strategy for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg), is rumored to be tapping up Skype – in a move to perhaps purchase the company outright with its newfound riches, or to work on a joint venture – at least according to what Reuters has shared.
A source that is close to Facebook claimed that the social networking giant is weighing a Skype buyout at $3 to $4 billion, which is a whole lot of dough considering Skype’s IPO (Initial Public Offering) that has been delayed by its new CEO until 2H 2011, was tipped to raise far less (relatively speaking, of course) at around $1 billion.
As for a different source, it claims that Skype won’t be bought out by Facebook, but would prefer to stick to a joint venture between both parties. That isn’t to say either company has not worked together before – in October 2011 when Skype rolled out version 5.0 of its software for the Windows platform, it came with a Facebook tab that allowed users to call or chat with their Facebook friends over Skype. Skype has yet to respond with a comment to this rumor, but who do you think will stand to gain more from a buyout/partnership?