Facebook adds in-browser video chat with new Skype partnership

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Facebook and Skype have announced a new partnership that will see the pair join forces to bring video chat to the world’s largest social network, alongside group chat.

Via a downloadable plug-in, users will be able to video call their Facebook contacts directly from the Facebook website within the browser using Skype’s technology.

“Working with Skype underlines our approach with how we are building this stuff. We want to leave these types of apps to those who are best in class in creating these things. This is a big difference from other internet companies who try to do millions of things on their own,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a thinly-veiled swipe at rivals Google and their own chat and video calling services in the wake of the launch of the Google+ social network.

“Social networking is at an inflection point right now. The narrative has always been about connecting people,” added Zuckerberg.

“The amount of stuff that is shared today is twice what it was a year ago. That kind of exponential growth is profound. The thing that is growing faster than people on Facebook is the amount of sharing on Facebook.”

“If you look at how sharing is growing, then you can plot this out in the future. So, if this is what people are sharing now then what apps do we have to create to encompass this in the next few years.”

A massive boost for Skype in particular, they now have a direct link to the 700 million+ Facebook users.

It’s already been a busy couple of months for the video-calling experts. Microsoft reached an agreement with Skype barely two months ago in which they bought the service in a deal worth reportedly over $5 billion.

Gerald Lynch
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