Celebrating World Read Aloud Day: Our Global Reading Initiative and Free Group Video Calling for Teachers
I love to read and I love stories. I was called a bookworm as a kid, because once I cracked open a book, I just couldn’t put it down until it was done! And, now, I watch with delight when my 12 year old daughter does the same. The hairy feet of a Hobbit. The … Read more
Skype Social Good – Making Life Better Through Technology
After I finished speaking on stage at the Social Innovation Summit in Silicon Valley earlier this week, I found myself reflecting on both the number of innovative and passionate people dedicated to changing our world for the better and the role technology is playing to drive these changes within our global society. At Skype, we’ve always believed in the power of technology to bring the world closer together by enabling people everywhere to share experiences. Nowhere is this more evident than in the way Skype is playing a social transformation role in a number of areas – education, peace efforts and humanitarian aid. Read more
The Advent of "Ambient Video"
A behavioral phenomenon that's growing in popularity among Skype users is something we like to call "Ambient Video." Some of our users are now leaving Skype video calls with their friends and family running nearly all the time. Interestingly, this is something we've also been doing internally at Skype for a number of years in order to connect our different offices with one another. We have TV screens placed near all the water coolers in our offices so that anyone in one office can see what's going on in any of our other offices around the globe via Skype Group Video Call. Read more
D: All Things Digital Conference – The Future of Skype, Part 2
At the 10th annual D: All Things Digital Conference, I was fortunate enough to be able to chat with AllThingsD's Kara Swisher on the final day of the event where I detailed the future of Skype.
Last week, I reviewed my discussion with Kara about the growth of Skype after we joined forces with Microsoft, and talked about our commitment to recruitment and talent acquisition. In this post, I'll talk about my discussion with Kara on the product side, our vision to continue being a user-driven company and how this will all drive Skype's ultimate goal of becoming an essential tool for everyday global communications. Read more
D: All Things Digital Conference – The Future of Skype, Part 1
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. Read more
The Great Debate: Does Technology Hinder or Improve Human Relationships?
An article I read recently included the following incredibly striking photo of Liu Bolin, a Chinese artist who is commonly referred to as "The Invisible Man." He earned this nickname since his most popular works of art (including this image) are his "Hiding in the City" series. Read more
Utilizing Big Data to Unlock Innovation in Education
I'm always looking for new areas of innovation. One topic in particular that I've been keeping an eye on is big data, as this emerging area has the potential to change multiple industries and generate tremendous value. Read more
Skype and The Education Foundation Partner to Launch The Learning Lab
Recently, I announced the work Skype is doing with DonorsChoose.org, and in further pursuit of Skype's goal of connecting one million classrooms across the globe through Skype in the classroom, we have recently partnered with the UK's first cross-sector… Read more
Technology is Essential to Enabling the Learning Process
"If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow." – John Dewey As this presentation from the Pew Internet Organization details, regardless of what students choose to do after they are finished with their… Read more
Spotlight on Skype's Mobile Engineering Director
"The 2010 holiday season was quickly approaching and everyone was excited about what they were doing. Getting ready for new product releases and updates was keeping everyone busier than ever. However, people were excited for a different reason as well;… Read more
