Skype founders 'happy' £260m exit

Skype co-founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis have said they are happy with their decision to step down from the company they sold to eBay in 2005.

The move, which was announced yesterday, has forced eBay into a £590m writedown on the £2.1bn it paid for the internet telephony company just two years ago.

The changes - which will see Mr Zennstrom continue as chairman of Skype for the time being - were greeted as a welcome correction by some technology analysts, who believe the online auction company overpaid initially for acquiring Skype.

In a filing with US regulators yesterday, eBay revealed that it would be paying Mr Zennstrom and Mr Friis around £260m and take over full control of Skype, which lets people make free telephone calls over the internet. Until now the duo have been running Skype as a separate organisation under the eBay umbrella.