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Last week at the 10th annual D: All Things Digital Conference, I had the privilege of sitting down for an on-stage Q&A with AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher.

At the onset of our discussion, we acknowledged that the communications landscape is transforming each and every day before our eyes. We discussed the implications of Microsoft and Skype joining forces, what progress we have made so far and what’s next for Skype. For those unable to attend the session, here are some of the key points we discussed.

(image c/o AllThingsD.com)

Since our integration with Microsoft, I’m incredibly proud that we’ve hit several major milestones:

• 250 million connected monthly users
• 40 million concurrent users online at peak times
• More than 100 billion audio and video calls in Q3 FY12 (an increase of 40% from the prior year’s 3rd quarter)

We attribute this growth to our collaboration with Microsoft, the additional resources now at our disposal and our continued focus on building great Skype experiences for our users. We’re invested in advancing the state of real-time communications, and the essence of what we want to do collectively to accelerate this growth is be on every major platform that has momentum, including desktop, mobile and TVs. Together, we will increase the accessibility and ubiquity of real-time video and voice communications, bringing benefits to both consumers and small business users and generating significant new business and revenue opportunities. As such, we see tremendous growth opportunities for Skype in both our user base and customer engagement.

As a part of this commitment to growth, we’re also focused on increased career and development opportunities. We’re investing in our employees and also opening up opportunities to bring in fresh talent to our teams. Currently, we have 400 new software engineering, product management and design positions open globally.

Check back here in a few days for part two of the session, which will recap our conversation regarding Skype’s products and user community. For full official coverage of my session, head over to AllThingsD, view the session highlight video or click on the article links below.