Remember when Ebay owned Skype? We do! In this riveting podcast episode, we delve into the world of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and uncover a shocking truth: many deals end up worse for the outcome. Emily and Dale will provide a compelling case study of eBay's acquisition of Skype, a $2.6 billion deal that, on the surface, was a big old failure, but the truth is much more interesting. Like Romeo and Juliet, eBay and Skype came from different worlds. eBay was a platform connecting independent buyers and sellers primarily through auctions. Skype was a Voice Over Internet Protocol Service launched in 2003 that gained market share rapidly and generated revenue through subscriptions and credit services. Although they were star-crossed lovers initially, eBay's acquisition of Skype proved to be their undoing, with the companies wanting different things and growing in different directions. Tune in to this episode to learn how to avoid the tragic fate of Romeo and Juliet and find successful matches in the world of M&As. 📕Show Menu - https://bit.ly/bcpshowmenu The Big Con Podcast: Emily and Dale dive into the wild world of business blunders and figure out where things went wrong (or right, but mostly wrong) and use the benefit of hindsight and a healthy dose of schadenfreude to look at where there was an impact on either their profit, their brand, or something much more dire. The Big Con examines the stories of businesses that refused to invest in strategy and where we can learn from their mistakes.