Japan is a leading nation in technology, scientific research machinery and biomedical research. At the centre is Tokyo, with the largest metropolitan area in the world with over 30 million residents. In such a high-tech country, it's not difficult to find interesting and advance gadgets or devices being incorporated into daily life.
Not your usual business set-up, our office is housed within an apartment which is attracting attention and getting popular use for business set up in Tokyo. The homely environment fosters a warm and welcome ambience among our employees as well as visitors. Currently our small and cosy team focuses specifically on marketing development and partnership management as we push the marketing activities within the Japan market. With the business constantly expanding we are always looking to add new blood to the team.
Qik was founded in June 2006 to enable mobile phone users to share live video with their friends, family and followers. The first Qik service was launched in 2008, and is now available in over 160 countries on almost 200 different phones across the Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile platforms.
These days, the Skype Moscow team is busy working on our Smart Streaming platform, which brings a lot of intelligence to the hard challenge of transmitting videos over mobile wireless networks.
Zelenograd is a city that forms one of the administrative districts of Moscow. It was one of the most powerful centres for electronics, microelectronics and the computer industry in the Soviet Union, and it still plays a similar role in modern Russia. Our city is really green and beautiful because it is surrounded by forest. It is great to be a part of such a megalopolis as Moscow with it history and vibrant lifestyle, but far enough away from the hustle and bustle.
Our office is located in a picturesque area, close to a lake and a park. There is a lot of parking space, a fitness center, covered tennis courts and a swimming pool. It is convenient to reach the office on a bicycle. There are a lot of cafés and restaurants offering Russian, Italian, and Chinese cuisines.
Our team is not very big yet (around 60 people), therefore we are like a big family. If you want to work on extremely interesting and innovative projects and become part of a team with a world-known name, we are waiting for YOU!
Our Estonian offices in Tallinn and Tartu are where the first lines of Skype's genetic instructions were coded. Where the original spirit burns hotter than ever (we've even built a sauna around it - never let a good flame go to waste!). Where handpicked engineers from over 30 nationalities continue to polish and refine the product capable of serving up the world neatly on your nearest screen.
Of all the Skype locations around the world, the Tallinn office is the largest with nearly 400 employees. We've won several prizes for 'best designed office' and rank in the top three for family-friendly offices in Estonia. We have a chillout area, a pool table, video games, free lunch daily and outside work, we get involved in water polo, skiing, tennis and motorcar racing clubs - just to name a few. And don't be surprised if you see dogs or children passing by - all are welcome in our office!
If you've got the smarts and the ambition to join our team of superconducting engineer-o-fabulousness, check out our vacancies and invest your talent! Why not take a look for yourself?
Our Skype office is smack-bang in the middle of the west end - London's cultural and entertainment hub. Bordering the trendy media neighbourhood of Soho, we're just a stone's throw from Charlotte Street and surrounded by some of the city's most stylish bars, restaurants and cafes.
Our London office has teams from business operations; product management & marketing; product design; legal; human resources; finance and central marketing.
There's a stellar chill out room so no shortage of places to brainstorm or simply harvest some of those creative and innovative ideas. A buffet of fruits, toast and 16 different cereals will get you kick-started in the morning, as will a game of fussball, pool or playstation help you break out during the day.
A pulsating international city, Stockholm offers a high standard of living with great shopping, fantastic food, strong transport and telecoms infrastructures and a vibrant cultural life. Around 90% of the population speaks fluent English, making it a great place to develop your international career!
A city on water, Stockholm is elegantly perched upon 14 islands with an archipelago boasting over 24,000 more. Natural beauty aside, it's known for its charming architecture, parks and lively nightlife that welcomes all tastes and flavours... and once the winter wonderland is finally over, the city jumps to life with people taking full advantage of the long summer nights!
Our office is the centre of excellence for Skype's Audio and Video technology and with an ever growing Mobile Engineering team also based here, we're looking forward to playing a large part in Skype's future.
Prague is a city of unusual beauty. The historical core of the city is situated on both banks of the Vltava river and is now a UNESCO-protected site. As the capital of the Czech Republic, it's the largest and most populous city and during tourist season, can see up to 100,000 foreign visitors daily who come to appreciate the wonderful historic sites.
Our work environment in Prague is unique, motivational, dynamic and fast-paced, and our team is the same - diverse and full of inspiration. Prague is the place where 'Skype to go' products grow. S2G allows our users to make low-cost international calls from their mobile or landline making it a major product for the rapidly growing mobile market.
Prague is also the home of User Management - a cross functional team leading Skype's transition to a service oriented organization with a mission to develop user account related aspects of Skype's core infrastructure and provide services that enable novel products to be built upon it.
Skype's Global headquarters is situated in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg where we enjoy one of the highest standards of living in Europe. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by The Economist magazine, we have the fourth highest quality of life in the world. Work here and you'll soon see why - very low tax rates, low crime rate and a great place for families - what more could you ask for?
Late last year we moved into our brand new state-of-the-art offices and we couldn't be happier. As a major hub for our senior executives and key location for our finance and business operations teams, our new home has been designed to encourage inspiration, innovation and professional development.
Luxembourg offers a wide variety of landscapes and tourist attractions. It's a charming place, with traditional villages and sun-drenched hillsides covered with grapevines. And when you're located in the centre of Europe between Belgium, France and Germany, you can fly to more than 50 European cities in the blink of an eye!
A bustling cosmopolitan city, Singapore embodies the finest of the East and West. Its diverse population contributes to a harmonious blend of culture, cuisine, arts and architecture and while English is classified as the main language, there is a mother tongue for each major ethnicity. Although small in size, Singapore has one of the fastest growing economies and is a lead player in International trade and finance, making it a perfect port for our Asia Pacific Headquarters.
Working closely with the other two Asia-based Skype teams in Japan and Hong Kong, we coordinate business and functional activities across the region serving Greater China, Japan, Australia, Korea and other emerging markets. This is a pretty exciting development as we continue to expand Skype's business around the world.
We have a small yet dynamic team of different nationalities and races, which gives rise to our unique culture and fun in the office. While we have built the main infrastructure as a regional office, we are inviting talent from different areas of expertise to accelerate our growth in the region.
Palo Alto is at the intersection of all cool things in the valley. It offers creature comforts for everyone. Located a couple of miles away from Stanford University, there is a pulsating energy and intellectual madness and thirst for being at the cusp of innovation. Many of the people who live and work here are responsible for developing products that have changed our world.
The cool antics of this hi-tech atmosphere are reflected in our beautiful offices too. The interior design is stunning, combined with excellent functionality and a real startup-style excitement. Our spacious creative workspace is texturally exciting with vibrant colors and soothing spaces that encourage quiet thought as well as breed innovation.
Outdoor eating decks surround the building, helping you take advantage of that famous Californian climate. There's also a pool table, fussball and artistic lounge chairs. Each area enjoys its own atmosphere and design and we're a dog-friendly workplace too!
We are determined on hiring recognized thought leaders and drivers of disruptive emerging technologies in the enterprise space. A highly collaborative team inspired by cultural diversity and a passion for delivering products that delight our customers, there's a very strong team spirit here. On top of this, we love our family-like atmosphere and make an effort to go out for regular drinks and plan exciting events that make our teams stronger.
If you've got the smarts and the ambition to join our team of superconducting engineer-o-fabulousness, check out our vacancies and invest your talent! Why not take a look for yourself?
Known for its expansive skyline, Hong Kong is the world's most vertical city. Due to its dense population the city continues to grow upwards rather than outwards and is an ever-changing smorgasbord of modern architecture. As one of the world's leading international financial hubs, Hong Kong has an economy characterised by low taxation and free trade and ranks highly for quality of life, economic freedom and transport infrastructure. While Hong Kong's official language is Cantonese, English is also considered as an official language and you'll find most communications displaying both Chinese and English.
Our Hong Kong office is a strategic location, being the gateway to mainland China and within close proximity of Taiwan. Being members of the APAC organization our Skype team works hard to promote Skype business and products to the local and Greater China markets and currently, we are looking to expand the team in line with business growth.
I am engineer in the iPhone team. We are working on creating mobile real-time video streaming application.
I was looking for an opportunity to work on great software and learn something new.
There is an atmosphere of trust and fun all around the company There are a lot of highly-motivated professionals around me Things we are doing are really great and helpful for people
I'm the engineering manager responsible for delivering Skype on Apple iOS devices.
I was incredibly excited to get the opportunity to join Skype - and I'm still excited to be here. The technology is unique and the possibilities are endless.
I interact with a genuinely international crowd on a daily basis - and they're all highly professional and intelligent. I learn something new every day. I get to use most of the seven languages I know every day too! As a team, we get to be the first people in the world to create things, and then to put in place the conventions that other people will follow. I feel like I'm working at the very tip of the top - and it's a great feeling to be surrounded by such talented people.
Busy! I raise a family in an international setting. I'm a national-level competition shooter and range officer. I'm a registered firearms instructor, volunteering my time to train people for the Estonian civil defense, the police force and for sports. I love to cook with friends, to enjoy a good meal and a song. Inspirational discussion and debate brings out my tiny (but vocal!) inner sociologist. I used to record and produce music as a hobby, but recently I've put that time into dabbling with photography instead. Actually, there's a running joke about photography at Skype. In the early days, everyone interviewing for a job was allegedly a photo enthusiast... And certainly there are plenty of really skilled colleagues to ask for hints on that perfect exposure.
I look after market and business development efforts for Skype in the Asia Pacific region. APAC is the fastest growing market for Skype and it is my job to ensure that we make our communication solution a huge success in this region. Most recently, I led and launched a mobile partnership with KDDI to make Skype available to the second largest mobile network in Japan. Based out of the Singapore office, I have been with Skype for close to two years.
I have been a fan of Skype for many years now and love the fact that it's a disruptive technology – one that can change the industry in a significant way. It is a wonderful opportunity to be a part of that, especially when the role is all about expanding the brand to the new emerging markets across Asia.
There are several factors but it boils down to the philosophy and people at Skype. The company's vision to be THE global communication service provider is one that is not only admirable, but also very achievable. This is largely due to the people behind the company, all the way from the leadership to the working team. We are a diverse group, super ambitious and love to be challenged. On a personal level, I am completely motivated to make Skype a huge success in Asia and we have a great opportunity to make that happen. Lots of work ahead, but it is terribly exciting!
I play golf (badly). Love to scuba dive (best diving spots in Southeast Asia). Most recently, leaning how to play the guitar (long overdue).
I manage all of Skype Enterprise's engineering and product management. That means I'm responsible for defining and delivering the products that Skype offers organizations in order to make collaboration across geographical and business boundaries a possibility.
I spent 15 years helping Microsoft deliver some great products that really changed people's lives - products like home networking in Windows XP and, of course, Office Communicator and Live Meeting. When the time came to try something new and take on some real challenges, I wanted to go somewhere that would allow me to have a positive impact on people's lives. I wanted to develop products that people love and products that embody the way the internet has changed the world. All that, added to my background, made Skype the perfect fit.
We live the Skype life. We're a global company with no boundaries, so not only do we build Skype but we depend on it to run the business. It's how we collaborate and how we embrace the many different cultures, locations and flexible work patterns. The work environment is unlike anything I've seen before. Every day, I work closely with people in London, Tallinn and California, so my life is made possible by the kind of technologies we develop. Without them I wouldn't be able to maintain all my work and personal connections. It's a vision of life we've been predicting for years - and it's here today.
I have family here in the US and in England. I love to ski and snowboard. I'm amazed at how quickly my children, even though they are young, are becoming independent and how easily they challenge me.
I started as a C++ software engineer in the backend team, working mainly on SkypeOut/SkypeIn call signalling. Since then a whole team was created around the calling infrastructure. Now we maintain a whole bunch of backend servers running in our datacenters, handling signalling, media and various related services such as Voicemail, SkypeConnect etc.
I was always impressed by the peer-to-peer architecture Skype is built on. Plus, as far as I remember, Skype remains the only computer program that was never cracked :-) Also it was clear that - among other things - Skype is a company that fills a huge gap on the market, allowing its users to call people on the other side of the planet for the same (or better) price and quality as if it was next door. All of the above made it an easy decision - plus the offices in Prague are pretty wonderful.
Even though it's one of the greatest technology innovators in the world, Skype can still preserve that special startup atmosphere. So we're working on software that provides a service to millions, but we still feel like we're just playing with things we love: we design, we code, we explore new technologies.
Jazz and classical guitar. Singing. Squash. Tango. Skiing.
Senior Manager - Finance Reporting & Accounting
I was excited by the chance to be a part of this great company. It has completely changed the way people communicate.
The days are never the same. This is a challenging environment and I love working with such dynamic people.
I'm a keen traveler. Whenever possible, I'll take off my high heels and slip on a pair of trekking shoes in search of faraway lands.
I work on signal processing algorithms for both audio and video. My role is all about making things sound and look as good as possible over the internet. In particular, I work on coding and robustness against communication channel imperfections, such as packet losses and variable delay.
I always wanted to return back to Estonia upon completing the Ph.D. work in Sweden. And there was Skype that offered interesting and challenging work, where my interests, knowledge, and skills fit perfectly.
I told this story once, and I'm sure I'll tell it again. I was visiting the student dorm in Stockholm, where I used to live during my PhD. It was nice to meet old friends and new people. One girl approached me and said, "I must tell you that I'm in love..." I thought, "Wait a minute, we just met..." And then she continued, "... with Skype." Well, it wasn't what I was expecting maybe, but still cool :)
Another time, on Christmas Eve, we set up a Skype video call between my girlfriend's mother and her relatives in Ukraine. When they saw the video, they became very happy and started clapping. After some time they were drinking and singing over the internet. I have to tell you, my work feels really nice during those moments.
And if all that is not enough, it's just cool to work at Skype. A lot of smart, talented, fun people work here. And we do a lot of things together outside of the office - sports, partying, travelling.
Family, sport, traveling.
I joined Skype almost four years ago to establish our Development Center in Prague. Now I'm looking after the day-to-day operations of our Prague site and further developing the site too. But Skype's the kind of company where you can jump on new challenges and take ownership of things you're interested in. So at the moment I have two parallel roles - one as the general manager of the Prague site, the other as a Senior Program Manager in Global Engineering Business Operations. This role involves creating, leading and supporting cross-organizational initiatives that help align our engineering function with Skype's business strategy.
I moved to Skype for its sexy technology and absolutely awesome products. Skype enables the world's conversations. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, and to send instant messages and files to other Skype users. Every single day, people also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles. I just wanted to be a part of changing the world of communications. I was also impressed by Skype's unique culture, its unique position in the internet industry and its presence on the global market.
Among all the things I love at Skype, it's the diversity of people in the teams that's the best thing for me. Working with really bright and inspirational individuals challenges me every day to bring new ideas to life. And that makes the experience of being at Skype very special. On the top of that, the actual work environment is really unique: very cool, motivational, dynamic and fast-paced. The huge flow of innovative work makes me feel as challenged and motivated today as on my first day at Skype, even after almost four years of duty :-)
My family, golfing, skiing, practicing ballroom and Latin dance, music, playing piano, good wine, good beer... and good food too.
I've been with Skype almost three years now and am responsible for business development and managing the local key partnerships within Greater China region. I'm also engaged in partners' activities at the strategic and operational levels and help Skype HQ to rollout the global deals within the Greater China region.
I started using Skype to communicate with my parents and friends back in 2003. We really enjoyed the good quality of calling & video chat. After I finished my MBA, I knew I wanted to join a young and fast growing company so I decided to join Skype. Even though it was a small company at the time, Skype was ambitious and has really grown since then. It enables people all over the world to communicate and I’m really excited to be a part of the team.
Skype is a young, fun and creative company. The company’s mission and culture have a big influence on all its employees. It stimulates passion, imagination and enthusiasm. I love all the people who I work with. People are from different countries and backgrounds and we help each other - sharing our technology knowledge, as well as life experiences. We work hard to bring more and more new and great products/services to our users all over the world. We also play hard when we get together!
Travel, Hiking, Aerobics, Music, Latin Dance.
Senior Product Manager for Skype on iOS products, including iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
I jumped at the chance to work for a company whose products bring people together emotionally and visually. I was excited about working on high-quality Apple products too. Just as importantly, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to relocate my family in London and gain first-hand experience of business in the UK and Europe. Plus, I was really attracted by the prospect of joining a company that believes in questioning the status quo.
It's great working with products that everyone knows and loves. The people are fun and dedicated, which creates an excellent atmosphere. As the company grows, there are always new interesting problems to solve.
I'm the proud parent of two rambunctious boys (aged 1 and 3). Lots of home remodeling. And I take part in swim-bike-run triathlon competitions, ranging from sprint distance to Ironmans.
I've been here over five years now. In that time, I've had the chance to work on all sorts of interesting projects. So for example, I've been involved in prototyping work for our desktop clients and I've been the lead developer on Skype for iPhone. At the moment, I'm focused on building components to take Skype to the web.
I saw the opportunity to help change real-time communications on a massively disruptive scale. I'd been using Skype since its early beta days and had always loved its ease of use - that whole "it just works" approach to the nascent VoIP field. I was also struck by the young company's huge ambitions to change the industry, a mentality and ethos that very much remains to this day.
There are lots of factors, but the biggest has to be the people. We are a global company and that's reflected in the make-up of our various teams. To sum us up, I'd say we're a diverse and super-smart bunch - mixing European roots with a new Silicon Valley presence. The quality of thinking is impressive here. Skype has solved some really hardcore problems and it continues to innovate and disrupt every day. That makes it a very stimulating work environment. On top of that is the sheer range of projects we get to work on. There's no shortage of exciting work to do!
My three year old son. Riding my motorbike. Travel. Music. Concerts. Skiing.
I joined Skype in December, 2010 and am based in Tokyo, Japan. I'm currently working as a Launch Project Manager for KDDI. My main responsibility is to make sure Skype thin client is preloaded on all planned KDDI devices while working as a main interface toward KDDI, covering time, risk, issue and change request management. I work closely with the Mobile engineering team and make sure all the processes work properly and efficiently.
I simply liked the idea that Skype envisions a world where communication flows like water. Skype allows you to communicate whenever, wherever and however you like. It has the power to bring lots of smiles to people through communication services. I also found that Skype technology is very unique based on P2P technology with disruptive innovation, which has high scalability, robustness and fault tolerance. I see Skype as a game-changing, technology driven company and see a big opportunity to help improve the way people communicate.
Firstly, it's about being appreciated by people. Due to Skype's offerings of free S2S call and low-pricing international call to PSTN and mobile, people simply appreciate what Skype is doing. I feel pride in my work, which gives me lots of motivation for working here and for helping to improve people’s daily communication. Secondly, it's about great people working here – it's a truly global company with a really diverse culture.
My ten year old daughter. Two year old dog. Snowboarding. Music. Weekend jogging.
I work for the customer support department as the customer support training specialist, specializing in billing and payments topics. Basically anything related to Skype products, from purchase onwards, goes through me. I turn the logic of engineers and architects and website magicians into what is understandable for our customer support - trying to map the problems that might occur once the customer has tried using our products.
I've also had the opportunity to help set up the initial training team for customer support, to create training materials content and the very first internal information center. My job allows me to travel to many different locations in Europe and Asia - and it's also given me great insight into the workings of different payment providers, banks and credit card issuers. I've learnt so much about money and how it relates to Skype.
To be honest, in the beginning it was mainly for the new challenge, and because I wanted to practice my English. Plus, a young and creative kindergarten-type startup company felt exactly right for me at the time. I was also very curious about the work environment here - I'd heard there were dogs in the office and I wanted to know if they really existed! Once I joined I liked it so much that I stayed - now I'm in my sixth year.
Most of all Skype, is about the people who work here. All those multi-talented, passionate, fun-loving people - young and old. They share one true and honest goal, to make the most out of Skype. If you see people sticking together at tough times for days, trying to fix things that have gone wrong, supporting each other at hours when other people sleep, then you can't help being passionate about something as fascinating as Skype.
What makes it all even more interesting is the fact that the people who work in Skype are not your average IT guys. People are very talented in their work, but they have many interesting hobbies outside the office. I can't name the amount of times I've been surprised to discover a colleague is a disk jockey, a cartoon artist, or a wind surfer. Or that the guy sitting next to me in customer support plays the guitar or sings in a band that's quite well known in Estonia. It's an interesting place to be.
Sometimes coming to work feels like being reunited with my little extended family. We share our lives, and don't need to feel restrained by the formalities of a normal corporate company. In fact, don't be surprised if you're trying to tackle a complicated programming challenge, only to be interrupted by a three year old toddler, a grey husky and an orange kitten running past you. And yes, that's actually happened here!
My two great passions are arts - graphic design, drawing, painting - and music. I sing, write lyrics, play the piano and do some acting in a local university musical theatre. Occasionally, even after hours of writing training materials, I still take the time to write some poems or update my blog. I can't forget to mention the fact that there's hardly a person in Skype that changes their hair as often as I do :P
I'm the Director of Platform Products & Engineering - SkypeKit
To change the world, to touch people, and to help them communicate. Just as importantly, to do something I can explain to my mother in less than five minutes.
That we make the world much smaller and more intimate.
I'm a qualified telemark ski instructor. I don't instruct at the moment, but I still love my telemark skiing. Apart from that, I like to ride high-performance motorcycles and fly light aircraft. I'm also an avid amateur photographer who likes to mess around with radio equipment.
As an audio quality engineer, I'm responsible for optimizing and improving the end to-end audio experience. I design tools for automation and quality measurements and contribute innovations to the modules that are critical to the audio experience: the voice quality enhancer, the speech codec, the transport/network and UI.
The job fit was close to perfect. And the ambition of the company to be the best at what it does was really important to me.
We're making a difference to the world, changing how people commute and communicate. This has a real impact on so many lives. I've heard several touching stories of what Skype means to individual families - keeping them close and together, even when they're far away.
I like to explore. Now and then I'll organize a nice event for my friends, like a snow mobile trip or a deep sea fishing tour. I also play squash, go road racing, hike, eat good food... and just experience life with my lovely girlfriend.
I graduated from the Police Academy and studied Law at the University of Tartu in Estonia
I work in the Legal department, as the Head of Law Enforcement Relations. My main focus is managing Skype's interaction with law enforcement and governmental security officials across the world.
It was an exciting prospect, working for a company that has so positively impacted on the lives of millions of people globally.
This is a great environment to work in, plus it's great working alongside such talented and passionate people!
Living in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg means there are so many exciting opportunities nearby. You're only a few hours away from Paris or the Alps, and I make the most of that as often as I can.
I'm an engineer in the video team, where we all work on creating better quality videoconferencing.
I've used Skype for a long time and I've always loved it. For some time, it was the only way to talk face-to-face with my relatives and friends, because I was living thousands of miles from home. I was really interested in the opportunity to make Skype even better, to help to improve the quality of communication, so that many more people could use it every day.
The highly fragmented world of IP videoconferencing creates many interesting and complex challenges. Solving any of them helps a lot of people around the globe too. Best of all, I work on these tasks with really talented and motivated colleagues.
Most of my time is spent with my two young twin daughters. When I have spare time, I love to read books.
Master degree in Computer Science. That wasn’t enough so I did a deep dive into algorithms for computer graphics and visualization and finished that with PhD.
Officially I am a Lead Software Development Engineer, developing Skype for Windows desktop client and Skype for Windows 8 client. In Windows desktop it means old good Delphi on top of old good Win32, in Windows 8 it means Javascript, HTML, CSS and C++ on top of new WinRT API. But it's not all about writing code, it's also about planning, estimating, documenting, and communicating with team members, designers, product managers and testers.
Initially, because it was one of very few companies hiring Delphi developers ;-). Also because I was a bit curious what else that needed to be done within the Skype product portfolio given all the new opportunities following the Microsoft acquisition. Last but not least I wanted to work in an international tech company which builds great product everybody knows and loves.
What I like the most is the impact of my work - my code runs on hundreds of millions of devices, is used by hundreds of millions of users and ultimately is making this world seem smaller and a bit nicer place to live in. Working here also great learning opportunity – every day you can and in fact you have to learn. Also, as we are true multi-cultural family one not only develops professionally but also has a chance to meet colleagues of many different nationalities and cultures. Finally, in a way, you’re not really working for your manager, you’re working for your friends and family so that they can communicate easily between each other.
Almost all taken by my daughter Anna. Otherwise sports – cycling, running and a bit of mountaineering.
I'm lucky enough to be the quality engineer that looks after Skype on your mobile devices. I specialize in Skype for Android, but I take part in assuring the quality of Skype for other operating systems too. My work involves managing tests (creating test plans, testing, automating, reporting) to see how quality can be constantly improved.
Well, I loved Skype as an application. Also I really wanted to be a part of something big and exciting, ideally involving some travel. When I met the people here, I was impressed by how professional, multicultural and friendly the team is at Skype.
Working at Skype is never boring! My work life consists of training, meetings, international travel and company parties. All in all, pretty enjoyable!
I love dancing (especially ballroom dancing), playing the piano, skating and reading. At the moment, I'm spending a lot of time on my studies. Oh, and let's not forget my new hobby: snowboarding. This was introduced to me by my colleagues on our team day out of the office :=)
I work as a senior research and development engineer in the audio team. I take projects all the way from idea to ready-to-use fixed point C implementation. This involves simulations with early prototypes, algorithm development using Matlab, writing patents and internet drafts, programming in floating point C and (as the end result) fixed point C code. My main contributions have been to help create the acoustic echo canceller, the background noise reduction and the Silk speech codec, all of which are used in the Skype client for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, SkypeKit and various TV products.
I was offered a job at Skype when they acquired my previous employer, Sonorit. I took the chance to relocate to Stockholm to join Skype because it was a great opportunity to be a part of the world's leading VoIP. And of course, that meant the chance to improve call quality for millions of users.
We're creating real change, allowing people to talk for free to anyone else on the planet. All they need is a device with a Skype client that is connected to the internet. Another thing I love is the people. Everyone is very highly skilled and there's a real mix of different cultures and nationalities.
I like travelling, hiking, skiing, photography and various sports.
I attended the Henley Business School of Management in the UK. That was sixteen years after leaving school, and I gained an MBA-based qualification. I didn't go to university when younger - I started working at 17 - but I haven't ruled out studying for a degree later in life.
My career has focused on managing call centers and contact centers. I began in banking, which was a little boring, but I did get involved in the successful launch of smile.co.uk, the country's first full internet bank. Then I ran the pan-European contact center operations for Eurostar, before joining Sykes, a major business process outsourcing firm. There I got to work with great brands like Dell, BT and Lexmark.
I manage our outsource partnerships, making sure the right contracts and agreements are in place. It's all about balancing value with performance, and making sure the Skype culture is embedded across our partner organizations.
I thought it was one of the most exciting, current and fastest growing companies in the world. The brand advocacy that exists out there is amazing. I loved the software too, and what it does to connect people. I'd used it a lot to keep in touch with my family when I was travelling for my work. So it was fantastic to join the team that makes it all possible.
The energy and the pace. It's the fastest-moving, most dynamic place I've ever worked. It's also very close knit, highly international and genuinely supportive. We all achieve more than the sum of our parts through dedication, world-changing ideas and a great spirit. It's a potent combination when you marry that to very clever engineers and exceptional products.
I'm married with two awesome kids, plus we've got two dogs, a cat, a tortoise and two gerbils! We all moved to Luxembourg recently, although we also have a house close to the beach back in Kent, UK. I'm very family orientated and we enjoy the outdoors. I love to play tennis, enjoy walking and I cycle to work as often as I can. Lastly, I'm a "Gooner" (which means I support Arsenal Football Club).
I took Computer Science and Business Administration courses towards degrees from Tallinn Technical University, Estonian Business School and Tartu University.
During my time at Skype I've worked as an architect on a number of different peer-to-peer projects, most notably in designing the network architecture underlying multi-party video. At the moment I'm an architect in the Core Web services group, working to connect the worlds of peer-to-peer and web.
I'd always wanted to contribute to a major software product. And then my friends at Skype told me how awesome it is here!
At Skype I'm always solving challenges and tackling interesting problems. There are no dull moments. I'm given real freedom to contribute to the success of the company - and I appreciate the way I'm recognized for those contributions.
I play golf and I like to travel. When I have spare moments with a computer, I also like to read about (and play with) different programming languages and formal methods.
I'm leading the Qik Web development team. My team is responsible for all the server-side Qik APIs (except for actual media storage and processing), qik.com website, embedded versions, delivering real-time notifications to mobile devices, etc.
Qik has been aquired by Skype, and I really love this fact. Qik and Skype are on the same page in terms of product goals, and being part of larger company is really cool. And of course, I've been using Skype for a long time under Windows, Linux and Mac. Skype has always been the only way for me to connect with my friends living in other countries and do multi-point chats with my colleagues at work.
I really love working together with really smart people, solving complex challenges coming from mobile nature of Qik product.I'm mostly involved in server-side development, but still we need to optimize for mobile usage, optimize network algorithms both on server and client side. And last but not the least is Skype scale: developing and supporting products which are used by hundreds millions of users is a fantastic opportunity.
Having fun with my two young kids, canoe trips.
Helping to integrate Qik product into Skype platform.
Technical challenges.
Traveling (when time allows), reading classical literature, go-carting with friends, Formula 1 fan.
As an audio quality engineer, I'm responsible for optimizing and improving the end to-end audio experience. I design tools for automation and quality measurements and contribute innovations to the modules that are critical to the audio experience: the voice quality enhancer, the speech codec, the transport/network and UI.
The job fit was close to perfect. And the ambition of the company to be the best at what it does was really important to me.
We're making a difference to the world, changing how people commute and communicate. This has a real impact on so many lives. I've heard several touching stories of what Skype means to individual families - keeping them close and together, even when they're far away.
I like to explore. Now and then I'll organize a nice event for my friends, like a snow mobile trip or a deep sea fishing tour. I also play squash, go road racing, hike, eat good food... and just experience life with my lovely girlfriend.
Officially I'm a Software Engineer, developing the Skype client for Windows. Besides that, I'm like the right hand of our team lead, acting as the main contact for technical issues - both for other product teams in Skype and also for external partners. I take care of the hundreds of different builds we generate every month, as well as for the branching and continuous integration policies in our team.
When I came back from Sweden, I was looking for a challenging new job. Skype provided exactly that.
We've been changing the world - and we'll continue to do that. It's just so enormously satisfying knowing you've created something that 50 million people are using every day. Wow... And you never get bored: things are always changing and always challenging you.
Lots of sports. Basketball, running, skiing, adventure racing. Plus chess, bridge and theatre. I watch plays as often as possible.
I am leading Streaming Grid team. We handle media receiving, storing, processing and improving, broadcasting and distribution.
I love competition at the top of edge, I love to see happy faces of people using our products, I love to be surrounded by world-class professionals, I love to build the future.
Traveling, rock climbing, snowboarding, surfing and other xtreme activities
New York City is the home of GroupMe, now a part of the Skype family. We're currently hiring people who love and believe in the product and have excelled in areas they're passionate about. We admire individuals with ambition, confidence, bold opinions, and talent. We work in a casual, collaborative environment at an awesome office near Union Square. There's a ping pong table and a pinball machine and plenty of free food and drinks. It's sunny and comfortable in here. You'll love it.
We offer competitive salaries, employee stock options and benefits, and an opportunity to be an integral part of something big. Plus fun. Lots of fun. If you think you'd be a good fit, let us know! We can't wait to meet you.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, BSE Computer Engineering
Intel, Doubleclick, Screaming Media, Major League Baseball, Hot Potato
I develop for iOS
I liked their product and the people creating it. They made me laugh and I knew GroupMe would be something I would use every single day, which is rare. I don't even shower every day.
I love working on something that I use, and I know would be useful to anyone that wants to communicate with a group of people. It's simple. You don't have to convince people why it's useful. It's also a fantastic team led by some inspiring people. To state it bluntly: It rarely feels like work.
I help organize a monthly meetup of creative types (whether tech/art/whatever) called the North Brooklyn Breakfast Club. It's a great way for people to talk about what they do and to get a good sense of the great things coming out of the Williamsburg/Greenpoint area. I also like photography and putting way too much time into what I wear. I probably spend 3 or 4 minutes a day deciding. I used to play guitar a lot, now I make sure it's propped up in the apartment to look like I just put it down before you arrived. I also work on some side projects, some of which see light of day, some of which are just exercises.
Japan is a leading nation in technology, scientific research machinery and biomedical research. At the centre is Tokyo, with the largest metropolitan area in the world with over 30 million residents. In such a high-tech country, it's not difficult to find interesting and advance gadgets or devices being incorporated into daily life.
Not your usual business set-up, our office is housed within an apartment which is attracting attention and getting popular use for business set up in Tokyo. The homely environment fosters a warm and welcome ambience among our employees as well as visitors. Currently our small and cosy team focuses specifically on marketing development and partnership management as we push the marketing activities within the Japan market. With the business constantly expanding we are always looking to add new blood to the team.
Qik was founded in June 2006 to enable mobile phone users to share live video with their friends, family and followers. The first Qik service was launched in 2008, and is now available in over 160 countries on almost 200 different phones across the Android, iPhone, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile platforms.
These days, the Skype Moscow team is busy working on our Smart Streaming platform, which brings a lot of intelligence to the hard challenge of transmitting videos over mobile wireless networks.
Zelenograd is a city that forms one of the administrative districts of Moscow. It was one of the most powerful centres for electronics, microelectronics and the computer industry in the Soviet Union, and it still plays a similar role in modern Russia. Our city is really green and beautiful because it is surrounded by forest. It is great to be a part of such a megalopolis as Moscow with it history and vibrant lifestyle, but far enough away from the hustle and bustle.
Our office is located in a picturesque area, close to a lake and a park. There is a lot of parking space, a fitness center, covered tennis courts and a swimming pool. It is convenient to reach the office on a bicycle. There are a lot of cafés and restaurants offering Russian, Italian, and Chinese cuisines.
Our team is not very big yet (around 60 people), therefore we are like a big family. If you want to work on extremely interesting and innovative projects and become part of a team with a world-known name, we are waiting for YOU!
Our Estonian offices in Tallinn and Tartu are where the first lines of Skype's genetic instructions were coded. Where the original spirit burns hotter than ever (we've even built a sauna around it - never let a good flame go to waste!). Where handpicked engineers from over 30 nationalities continue to polish and refine the product capable of serving up the world neatly on your nearest screen.
Of all the Skype locations around the world, the Tallinn office is the largest with nearly 400 employees. We've won several prizes for 'best designed office' and rank in the top three for family-friendly offices in Estonia. We have a chillout area, a pool table, video games, free lunch daily and outside work, we get involved in water polo, skiing, tennis and motorcar racing clubs - just to name a few. And don't be surprised if you see dogs or children passing by - all are welcome in our office!
If you've got the smarts and the ambition to join our team of superconducting engineer-o-fabulousness, check out our vacancies and invest your talent! Why not take a look for yourself?
Our Skype office is smack-bang in the middle of the west end - London's cultural and entertainment hub. Bordering the trendy media neighbourhood of Soho, we're just a stone's throw from Charlotte Street and surrounded by some of the city's most stylish bars, restaurants and cafes.
Our London office has teams from business operations; product management & marketing; product design; legal; human resources; finance and central marketing.
There's a stellar chill out room so no shortage of places to brainstorm or simply harvest some of those creative and innovative ideas. A buffet of fruits, toast and 16 different cereals will get you kick-started in the morning, as will a game of fussball, pool or playstation help you break out during the day.
A pulsating international city, Stockholm offers a high standard of living with great shopping, fantastic food, strong transport and telecoms infrastructures and a vibrant cultural life. Around 90% of the population speaks fluent English, making it a great place to develop your international career!
A city on water, Stockholm is elegantly perched upon 14 islands with an archipelago boasting over 24,000 more. Natural beauty aside, it's known for its charming architecture, parks and lively nightlife that welcomes all tastes and flavours... and once the winter wonderland is finally over, the city jumps to life with people taking full advantage of the long summer nights!
Our office is the centre of excellence for Skype's Audio and Video technology and with an ever growing Mobile Engineering team also based here, we're looking forward to playing a large part in Skype's future.
Prague is a city of unusual beauty. The historical core of the city is situated on both banks of the Vltava river and is now a UNESCO-protected site. As the capital of the Czech Republic, it's the largest and most populous city and during tourist season, can see up to 100,000 foreign visitors daily who come to appreciate the wonderful historic sites.
Our work environment in Prague is unique, motivational, dynamic and fast-paced, and our team is the same - diverse and full of inspiration. Prague is the place where 'Skype to go' products grow. S2G allows our users to make low-cost international calls from their mobile or landline making it a major product for the rapidly growing mobile market.
Prague is also the home of User Management - a cross functional team leading Skype's transition to a service oriented organization with a mission to develop user account related aspects of Skype's core infrastructure and provide services that enable novel products to be built upon it.
Skype's Global headquarters is situated in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg where we enjoy one of the highest standards of living in Europe. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by The Economist magazine, we have the fourth highest quality of life in the world. Work here and you'll soon see why - very low tax rates, low crime rate and a great place for families - what more could you ask for?
Late last year we moved into our brand new state-of-the-art offices and we couldn't be happier. As a major hub for our senior executives and key location for our finance and business operations teams, our new home has been designed to encourage inspiration, innovation and professional development.
Luxembourg offers a wide variety of landscapes and tourist attractions. It's a charming place, with traditional villages and sun-drenched hillsides covered with grapevines. And when you're located in the centre of Europe between Belgium, France and Germany, you can fly to more than 50 European cities in the blink of an eye!
A bustling cosmopolitan city, Singapore embodies the finest of the East and West. Its diverse population contributes to a harmonious blend of culture, cuisine, arts and architecture and while English is classified as the main language, there is a mother tongue for each major ethnicity. Although small in size, Singapore has one of the fastest growing economies and is a lead player in International trade and finance, making it a perfect port for our Asia Pacific Headquarters.
Working closely with the other two Asia-based Skype teams in Japan and Hong Kong, we coordinate business and functional activities across the region serving Greater China, Japan, Australia, Korea and other emerging markets. This is a pretty exciting development as we continue to expand Skype's business around the world.
We have a small yet dynamic team of different nationalities and races, which gives rise to our unique culture and fun in the office. While we have built the main infrastructure as a regional office, we are inviting talent from different areas of expertise to accelerate our growth in the region.
Palo Alto is at the intersection of all cool things in the valley. It offers creature comforts for everyone. Located a couple of miles away from Stanford University, there is a pulsating energy and intellectual madness and thirst for being at the cusp of innovation. Many of the people who live and work here are responsible for developing products that have changed our world.
The cool antics of this hi-tech atmosphere are reflected in our beautiful offices too. The interior design is stunning, combined with excellent functionality and a real startup-style excitement. Our spacious creative workspace is texturally exciting with vibrant colors and soothing spaces that encourage quiet thought as well as breed innovation.
Outdoor eating decks surround the building, helping you take advantage of that famous Californian climate. There's also a pool table, fussball and artistic lounge chairs. Each area enjoys its own atmosphere and design and we're a dog-friendly workplace too!
We are determined on hiring recognized thought leaders and drivers of disruptive emerging technologies in the enterprise space. A highly collaborative team inspired by cultural diversity and a passion for delivering products that delight our customers, there's a very strong team spirit here. On top of this, we love our family-like atmosphere and make an effort to go out for regular drinks and plan exciting events that make our teams stronger.
If you've got the smarts and the ambition to join our team of superconducting engineer-o-fabulousness, check out our vacancies and invest your talent! Why not take a look for yourself?
Known for its expansive skyline, Hong Kong is the world's most vertical city. Due to its dense population the city continues to grow upwards rather than outwards and is an ever-changing smorgasbord of modern architecture. As one of the world's leading international financial hubs, Hong Kong has an economy characterised by low taxation and free trade and ranks highly for quality of life, economic freedom and transport infrastructure. While Hong Kong's official language is Cantonese, English is also considered as an official language and you'll find most communications displaying both Chinese and English.
Our Hong Kong office is a strategic location, being the gateway to mainland China and within close proximity of Taiwan. Being members of the APAC organization our Skype team works hard to promote Skype business and products to the local and Greater China markets and currently, we are looking to expand the team in line with business growth.
I am engineer in the iPhone team. We are working on creating mobile real-time video streaming application.
I was looking for an opportunity to work on great software and learn something new.
There is an atmosphere of trust and fun all around the company There are a lot of highly-motivated professionals around me Things we are doing are really great and helpful for people
I'm the engineering manager responsible for delivering Skype on Apple iOS devices.
I was incredibly excited to get the opportunity to join Skype - and I'm still excited to be here. The technology is unique and the possibilities are endless.
I interact with a genuinely international crowd on a daily basis - and they're all highly professional and intelligent. I learn something new every day. I get to use most of the seven languages I know every day too! As a team, we get to be the first people in the world to create things, and then to put in place the conventions that other people will follow. I feel like I'm working at the very tip of the top - and it's a great feeling to be surrounded by such talented people.
Busy! I raise a family in an international setting. I'm a national-level competition shooter and range officer. I'm a registered firearms instructor, volunteering my time to train people for the Estonian civil defense, the police force and for sports. I love to cook with friends, to enjoy a good meal and a song. Inspirational discussion and debate brings out my tiny (but vocal!) inner sociologist. I used to record and produce music as a hobby, but recently I've put that time into dabbling with photography instead. Actually, there's a running joke about photography at Skype. In the early days, everyone interviewing for a job was allegedly a photo enthusiast... And certainly there are plenty of really skilled colleagues to ask for hints on that perfect exposure.
I look after market and business development efforts for Skype in the Asia Pacific region. APAC is the fastest growing market for Skype and it is my job to ensure that we make our communication solution a huge success in this region. Most recently, I led and launched a mobile partnership with KDDI to make Skype available to the second largest mobile network in Japan. Based out of the Singapore office, I have been with Skype for close to two years.
I have been a fan of Skype for many years now and love the fact that it's a disruptive technology – one that can change the industry in a significant way. It is a wonderful opportunity to be a part of that, especially when the role is all about expanding the brand to the new emerging markets across Asia.
There are several factors but it boils down to the philosophy and people at Skype. The company's vision to be THE global communication service provider is one that is not only admirable, but also very achievable. This is largely due to the people behind the company, all the way from the leadership to the working team. We are a diverse group, super ambitious and love to be challenged. On a personal level, I am completely motivated to make Skype a huge success in Asia and we have a great opportunity to make that happen. Lots of work ahead, but it is terribly exciting!
I play golf (badly). Love to scuba dive (best diving spots in Southeast Asia). Most recently, leaning how to play the guitar (long overdue).
I manage all of Skype Enterprise's engineering and product management. That means I'm responsible for defining and delivering the products that Skype offers organizations in order to make collaboration across geographical and business boundaries a possibility.
I spent 15 years helping Microsoft deliver some great products that really changed people's lives - products like home networking in Windows XP and, of course, Office Communicator and Live Meeting. When the time came to try something new and take on some real challenges, I wanted to go somewhere that would allow me to have a positive impact on people's lives. I wanted to develop products that people love and products that embody the way the internet has changed the world. All that, added to my background, made Skype the perfect fit.
We live the Skype life. We're a global company with no boundaries, so not only do we build Skype but we depend on it to run the business. It's how we collaborate and how we embrace the many different cultures, locations and flexible work patterns. The work environment is unlike anything I've seen before. Every day, I work closely with people in London, Tallinn and California, so my life is made possible by the kind of technologies we develop. Without them I wouldn't be able to maintain all my work and personal connections. It's a vision of life we've been predicting for years - and it's here today.
I have family here in the US and in England. I love to ski and snowboard. I'm amazed at how quickly my children, even though they are young, are becoming independent and how easily they challenge me.
I started as a C++ software engineer in the backend team, working mainly on SkypeOut/SkypeIn call signalling. Since then a whole team was created around the calling infrastructure. Now we maintain a whole bunch of backend servers running in our datacenters, handling signalling, media and various related services such as Voicemail, SkypeConnect etc.
I was always impressed by the peer-to-peer architecture Skype is built on. Plus, as far as I remember, Skype remains the only computer program that was never cracked :-) Also it was clear that - among other things - Skype is a company that fills a huge gap on the market, allowing its users to call people on the other side of the planet for the same (or better) price and quality as if it was next door. All of the above made it an easy decision - plus the offices in Prague are pretty wonderful.
Even though it's one of the greatest technology innovators in the world, Skype can still preserve that special startup atmosphere. So we're working on software that provides a service to millions, but we still feel like we're just playing with things we love: we design, we code, we explore new technologies.
Jazz and classical guitar. Singing. Squash. Tango. Skiing.
Senior Manager - Finance Reporting & Accounting
I was excited by the chance to be a part of this great company. It has completely changed the way people communicate.
The days are never the same. This is a challenging environment and I love working with such dynamic people.
I'm a keen traveler. Whenever possible, I'll take off my high heels and slip on a pair of trekking shoes in search of faraway lands.
I work on signal processing algorithms for both audio and video. My role is all about making things sound and look as good as possible over the internet. In particular, I work on coding and robustness against communication channel imperfections, such as packet losses and variable delay.
I always wanted to return back to Estonia upon completing the Ph.D. work in Sweden. And there was Skype that offered interesting and challenging work, where my interests, knowledge, and skills fit perfectly.
I told this story once, and I'm sure I'll tell it again. I was visiting the student dorm in Stockholm, where I used to live during my PhD. It was nice to meet old friends and new people. One girl approached me and said, "I must tell you that I'm in love..." I thought, "Wait a minute, we just met..." And then she continued, "... with Skype." Well, it wasn't what I was expecting maybe, but still cool :)
Another time, on Christmas Eve, we set up a Skype video call between my girlfriend's mother and her relatives in Ukraine. When they saw the video, they became very happy and started clapping. After some time they were drinking and singing over the internet. I have to tell you, my work feels really nice during those moments.
And if all that is not enough, it's just cool to work at Skype. A lot of smart, talented, fun people work here. And we do a lot of things together outside of the office - sports, partying, travelling.
Family, sport, traveling.
I joined Skype almost four years ago to establish our Development Center in Prague. Now I'm looking after the day-to-day operations of our Prague site and further developing the site too. But Skype's the kind of company where you can jump on new challenges and take ownership of things you're interested in. So at the moment I have two parallel roles - one as the general manager of the Prague site, the other as a Senior Program Manager in Global Engineering Business Operations. This role involves creating, leading and supporting cross-organizational initiatives that help align our engineering function with Skype's business strategy.
I moved to Skype for its sexy technology and absolutely awesome products. Skype enables the world's conversations. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, and to send instant messages and files to other Skype users. Every single day, people also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles. I just wanted to be a part of changing the world of communications. I was also impressed by Skype's unique culture, its unique position in the internet industry and its presence on the global market.
Among all the things I love at Skype, it's the diversity of people in the teams that's the best thing for me. Working with really bright and inspirational individuals challenges me every day to bring new ideas to life. And that makes the experience of being at Skype very special. On the top of that, the actual work environment is really unique: very cool, motivational, dynamic and fast-paced. The huge flow of innovative work makes me feel as challenged and motivated today as on my first day at Skype, even after almost four years of duty :-)
My family, golfing, skiing, practicing ballroom and Latin dance, music, playing piano, good wine, good beer... and good food too.
I've been with Skype almost three years now and am responsible for business development and managing the local key partnerships within Greater China region. I'm also engaged in partners' activities at the strategic and operational levels and help Skype HQ to rollout the global deals within the Greater China region.
I started using Skype to communicate with my parents and friends back in 2003. We really enjoyed the good quality of calling & video chat. After I finished my MBA, I knew I wanted to join a young and fast growing company so I decided to join Skype. Even though it was a small company at the time, Skype was ambitious and has really grown since then. It enables people all over the world to communicate and I’m really excited to be a part of the team.
Skype is a young, fun and creative company. The company’s mission and culture have a big influence on all its employees. It stimulates passion, imagination and enthusiasm. I love all the people who I work with. People are from different countries and backgrounds and we help each other - sharing our technology knowledge, as well as life experiences. We work hard to bring more and more new and great products/services to our users all over the world. We also play hard when we get together!
Travel, Hiking, Aerobics, Music, Latin Dance.
Senior Product Manager for Skype on iOS products, including iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
I jumped at the chance to work for a company whose products bring people together emotionally and visually. I was excited about working on high-quality Apple products too. Just as importantly, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to relocate my family in London and gain first-hand experience of business in the UK and Europe. Plus, I was really attracted by the prospect of joining a company that believes in questioning the status quo.
It's great working with products that everyone knows and loves. The people are fun and dedicated, which creates an excellent atmosphere. As the company grows, there are always new interesting problems to solve.
I'm the proud parent of two rambunctious boys (aged 1 and 3). Lots of home remodeling. And I take part in swim-bike-run triathlon competitions, ranging from sprint distance to Ironmans.
I've been here over five years now. In that time, I've had the chance to work on all sorts of interesting projects. So for example, I've been involved in prototyping work for our desktop clients and I've been the lead developer on Skype for iPhone. At the moment, I'm focused on building components to take Skype to the web.
I saw the opportunity to help change real-time communications on a massively disruptive scale. I'd been using Skype since its early beta days and had always loved its ease of use - that whole "it just works" approach to the nascent VoIP field. I was also struck by the young company's huge ambitions to change the industry, a mentality and ethos that very much remains to this day.
There are lots of factors, but the biggest has to be the people. We are a global company and that's reflected in the make-up of our various teams. To sum us up, I'd say we're a diverse and super-smart bunch - mixing European roots with a new Silicon Valley presence. The quality of thinking is impressive here. Skype has solved some really hardcore problems and it continues to innovate and disrupt every day. That makes it a very stimulating work environment. On top of that is the sheer range of projects we get to work on. There's no shortage of exciting work to do!
My three year old son. Riding my motorbike. Travel. Music. Concerts. Skiing.
I joined Skype in December, 2010 and am based in Tokyo, Japan. I'm currently working as a Launch Project Manager for KDDI. My main responsibility is to make sure Skype thin client is preloaded on all planned KDDI devices while working as a main interface toward KDDI, covering time, risk, issue and change request management. I work closely with the Mobile engineering team and make sure all the processes work properly and efficiently.
I simply liked the idea that Skype envisions a world where communication flows like water. Skype allows you to communicate whenever, wherever and however you like. It has the power to bring lots of smiles to people through communication services. I also found that Skype technology is very unique based on P2P technology with disruptive innovation, which has high scalability, robustness and fault tolerance. I see Skype as a game-changing, technology driven company and see a big opportunity to help improve the way people communicate.
Firstly, it's about being appreciated by people. Due to Skype's offerings of free S2S call and low-pricing international call to PSTN and mobile, people simply appreciate what Skype is doing. I feel pride in my work, which gives me lots of motivation for working here and for helping to improve people’s daily communication. Secondly, it's about great people working here – it's a truly global company with a really diverse culture.
My ten year old daughter. Two year old dog. Snowboarding. Music. Weekend jogging.
I work for the customer support department as the customer support training specialist, specializing in billing and payments topics. Basically anything related to Skype products, from purchase onwards, goes through me. I turn the logic of engineers and architects and website magicians into what is understandable for our customer support - trying to map the problems that might occur once the customer has tried using our products.
I've also had the opportunity to help set up the initial training team for customer support, to create training materials content and the very first internal information center. My job allows me to travel to many different locations in Europe and Asia - and it's also given me great insight into the workings of different payment providers, banks and credit card issuers. I've learnt so much about money and how it relates to Skype.
To be honest, in the beginning it was mainly for the new challenge, and because I wanted to practice my English. Plus, a young and creative kindergarten-type startup company felt exactly right for me at the time. I was also very curious about the work environment here - I'd heard there were dogs in the office and I wanted to know if they really existed! Once I joined I liked it so much that I stayed - now I'm in my sixth year.
Most of all Skype, is about the people who work here. All those multi-talented, passionate, fun-loving people - young and old. They share one true and honest goal, to make the most out of Skype. If you see people sticking together at tough times for days, trying to fix things that have gone wrong, supporting each other at hours when other people sleep, then you can't help being passionate about something as fascinating as Skype.
What makes it all even more interesting is the fact that the people who work in Skype are not your average IT guys. People are very talented in their work, but they have many interesting hobbies outside the office. I can't name the amount of times I've been surprised to discover a colleague is a disk jockey, a cartoon artist, or a wind surfer. Or that the guy sitting next to me in customer support plays the guitar or sings in a band that's quite well known in Estonia. It's an interesting place to be.
Sometimes coming to work feels like being reunited with my little extended family. We share our lives, and don't need to feel restrained by the formalities of a normal corporate company. In fact, don't be surprised if you're trying to tackle a complicated programming challenge, only to be interrupted by a three year old toddler, a grey husky and an orange kitten running past you. And yes, that's actually happened here!
My two great passions are arts - graphic design, drawing, painting - and music. I sing, write lyrics, play the piano and do some acting in a local university musical theatre. Occasionally, even after hours of writing training materials, I still take the time to write some poems or update my blog. I can't forget to mention the fact that there's hardly a person in Skype that changes their hair as often as I do :P
I'm the Director of Platform Products & Engineering - SkypeKit
To change the world, to touch people, and to help them communicate. Just as importantly, to do something I can explain to my mother in less than five minutes.
That we make the world much smaller and more intimate.
I'm a qualified telemark ski instructor. I don't instruct at the moment, but I still love my telemark skiing. Apart from that, I like to ride high-performance motorcycles and fly light aircraft. I'm also an avid amateur photographer who likes to mess around with radio equipment.
As an audio quality engineer, I'm responsible for optimizing and improving the end to-end audio experience. I design tools for automation and quality measurements and contribute innovations to the modules that are critical to the audio experience: the voice quality enhancer, the speech codec, the transport/network and UI.
The job fit was close to perfect. And the ambition of the company to be the best at what it does was really important to me.
We're making a difference to the world, changing how people commute and communicate. This has a real impact on so many lives. I've heard several touching stories of what Skype means to individual families - keeping them close and together, even when they're far away.
I like to explore. Now and then I'll organize a nice event for my friends, like a snow mobile trip or a deep sea fishing tour. I also play squash, go road racing, hike, eat good food... and just experience life with my lovely girlfriend.
I graduated from the Police Academy and studied Law at the University of Tartu in Estonia
I work in the Legal department, as the Head of Law Enforcement Relations. My main focus is managing Skype's interaction with law enforcement and governmental security officials across the world.
It was an exciting prospect, working for a company that has so positively impacted on the lives of millions of people globally.
This is a great environment to work in, plus it's great working alongside such talented and passionate people!
Living in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg means there are so many exciting opportunities nearby. You're only a few hours away from Paris or the Alps, and I make the most of that as often as I can.
I'm an engineer in the video team, where we all work on creating better quality videoconferencing.
I've used Skype for a long time and I've always loved it. For some time, it was the only way to talk face-to-face with my relatives and friends, because I was living thousands of miles from home. I was really interested in the opportunity to make Skype even better, to help to improve the quality of communication, so that many more people could use it every day.
The highly fragmented world of IP videoconferencing creates many interesting and complex challenges. Solving any of them helps a lot of people around the globe too. Best of all, I work on these tasks with really talented and motivated colleagues.
Most of my time is spent with my two young twin daughters. When I have spare time, I love to read books.
Master degree in Computer Science. That wasn’t enough so I did a deep dive into algorithms for computer graphics and visualization and finished that with PhD.
Officially I am a Lead Software Development Engineer, developing Skype for Windows desktop client and Skype for Windows 8 client. In Windows desktop it means old good Delphi on top of old good Win32, in Windows 8 it means Javascript, HTML, CSS and C++ on top of new WinRT API. But it's not all about writing code, it's also about planning, estimating, documenting, and communicating with team members, designers, product managers and testers.
Initially, because it was one of very few companies hiring Delphi developers ;-). Also because I was a bit curious what else that needed to be done within the Skype product portfolio given all the new opportunities following the Microsoft acquisition. Last but not least I wanted to work in an international tech company which builds great product everybody knows and loves.
What I like the most is the impact of my work - my code runs on hundreds of millions of devices, is used by hundreds of millions of users and ultimately is making this world seem smaller and a bit nicer place to live in. Working here also great learning opportunity – every day you can and in fact you have to learn. Also, as we are true multi-cultural family one not only develops professionally but also has a chance to meet colleagues of many different nationalities and cultures. Finally, in a way, you’re not really working for your manager, you’re working for your friends and family so that they can communicate easily between each other.
Almost all taken by my daughter Anna. Otherwise sports – cycling, running and a bit of mountaineering.
I'm lucky enough to be the quality engineer that looks after Skype on your mobile devices. I specialize in Skype for Android, but I take part in assuring the quality of Skype for other operating systems too. My work involves managing tests (creating test plans, testing, automating, reporting) to see how quality can be constantly improved.
Well, I loved Skype as an application. Also I really wanted to be a part of something big and exciting, ideally involving some travel. When I met the people here, I was impressed by how professional, multicultural and friendly the team is at Skype.
Working at Skype is never boring! My work life consists of training, meetings, international travel and company parties. All in all, pretty enjoyable!
I love dancing (especially ballroom dancing), playing the piano, skating and reading. At the moment, I'm spending a lot of time on my studies. Oh, and let's not forget my new hobby: snowboarding. This was introduced to me by my colleagues on our team day out of the office :=)
I work as a senior research and development engineer in the audio team. I take projects all the way from idea to ready-to-use fixed point C implementation. This involves simulations with early prototypes, algorithm development using Matlab, writing patents and internet drafts, programming in floating point C and (as the end result) fixed point C code. My main contributions have been to help create the acoustic echo canceller, the background noise reduction and the Silk speech codec, all of which are used in the Skype client for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, SkypeKit and various TV products.
I was offered a job at Skype when they acquired my previous employer, Sonorit. I took the chance to relocate to Stockholm to join Skype because it was a great opportunity to be a part of the world's leading VoIP. And of course, that meant the chance to improve call quality for millions of users.
We're creating real change, allowing people to talk for free to anyone else on the planet. All they need is a device with a Skype client that is connected to the internet. Another thing I love is the people. Everyone is very highly skilled and there's a real mix of different cultures and nationalities.
I like travelling, hiking, skiing, photography and various sports.
I attended the Henley Business School of Management in the UK. That was sixteen years after leaving school, and I gained an MBA-based qualification. I didn't go to university when younger - I started working at 17 - but I haven't ruled out studying for a degree later in life.
My career has focused on managing call centers and contact centers. I began in banking, which was a little boring, but I did get involved in the successful launch of smile.co.uk, the country's first full internet bank. Then I ran the pan-European contact center operations for Eurostar, before joining Sykes, a major business process outsourcing firm. There I got to work with great brands like Dell, BT and Lexmark.
I manage our outsource partnerships, making sure the right contracts and agreements are in place. It's all about balancing value with performance, and making sure the Skype culture is embedded across our partner organizations.
I thought it was one of the most exciting, current and fastest growing companies in the world. The brand advocacy that exists out there is amazing. I loved the software too, and what it does to connect people. I'd used it a lot to keep in touch with my family when I was travelling for my work. So it was fantastic to join the team that makes it all possible.
The energy and the pace. It's the fastest-moving, most dynamic place I've ever worked. It's also very close knit, highly international and genuinely supportive. We all achieve more than the sum of our parts through dedication, world-changing ideas and a great spirit. It's a potent combination when you marry that to very clever engineers and exceptional products.
I'm married with two awesome kids, plus we've got two dogs, a cat, a tortoise and two gerbils! We all moved to Luxembourg recently, although we also have a house close to the beach back in Kent, UK. I'm very family orientated and we enjoy the outdoors. I love to play tennis, enjoy walking and I cycle to work as often as I can. Lastly, I'm a "Gooner" (which means I support Arsenal Football Club).
I took Computer Science and Business Administration courses towards degrees from Tallinn Technical University, Estonian Business School and Tartu University.
During my time at Skype I've worked as an architect on a number of different peer-to-peer projects, most notably in designing the network architecture underlying multi-party video. At the moment I'm an architect in the Core Web services group, working to connect the worlds of peer-to-peer and web.
I'd always wanted to contribute to a major software product. And then my friends at Skype told me how awesome it is here!
At Skype I'm always solving challenges and tackling interesting problems. There are no dull moments. I'm given real freedom to contribute to the success of the company - and I appreciate the way I'm recognized for those contributions.
I play golf and I like to travel. When I have spare moments with a computer, I also like to read about (and play with) different programming languages and formal methods.
I'm leading the Qik Web development team. My team is responsible for all the server-side Qik APIs (except for actual media storage and processing), qik.com website, embedded versions, delivering real-time notifications to mobile devices, etc.
Qik has been aquired by Skype, and I really love this fact. Qik and Skype are on the same page in terms of product goals, and being part of larger company is really cool. And of course, I've been using Skype for a long time under Windows, Linux and Mac. Skype has always been the only way for me to connect with my friends living in other countries and do multi-point chats with my colleagues at work.
I really love working together with really smart people, solving complex challenges coming from mobile nature of Qik product.I'm mostly involved in server-side development, but still we need to optimize for mobile usage, optimize network algorithms both on server and client side. And last but not the least is Skype scale: developing and supporting products which are used by hundreds millions of users is a fantastic opportunity.
Having fun with my two young kids, canoe trips.
Helping to integrate Qik product into Skype platform.
Technical challenges.
Traveling (when time allows), reading classical literature, go-carting with friends, Formula 1 fan.
As an audio quality engineer, I'm responsible for optimizing and improving the end to-end audio experience. I design tools for automation and quality measurements and contribute innovations to the modules that are critical to the audio experience: the voice quality enhancer, the speech codec, the transport/network and UI.
The job fit was close to perfect. And the ambition of the company to be the best at what it does was really important to me.
We're making a difference to the world, changing how people commute and communicate. This has a real impact on so many lives. I've heard several touching stories of what Skype means to individual families - keeping them close and together, even when they're far away.
I like to explore. Now and then I'll organize a nice event for my friends, like a snow mobile trip or a deep sea fishing tour. I also play squash, go road racing, hike, eat good food... and just experience life with my lovely girlfriend.
Officially I'm a Software Engineer, developing the Skype client for Windows. Besides that, I'm like the right hand of our team lead, acting as the main contact for technical issues - both for other product teams in Skype and also for external partners. I take care of the hundreds of different builds we generate every month, as well as for the branching and continuous integration policies in our team.
When I came back from Sweden, I was looking for a challenging new job. Skype provided exactly that.
We've been changing the world - and we'll continue to do that. It's just so enormously satisfying knowing you've created something that 50 million people are using every day. Wow... And you never get bored: things are always changing and always challenging you.
Lots of sports. Basketball, running, skiing, adventure racing. Plus chess, bridge and theatre. I watch plays as often as possible.
I am leading Streaming Grid team. We handle media receiving, storing, processing and improving, broadcasting and distribution.
I love competition at the top of edge, I love to see happy faces of people using our products, I love to be surrounded by world-class professionals, I love to build the future.
Traveling, rock climbing, snowboarding, surfing and other xtreme activities
New York City is the home of GroupMe, now a part of the Skype family. We're currently hiring people who love and believe in the product and have excelled in areas they're passionate about. We admire individuals with ambition, confidence, bold opinions, and talent. We work in a casual, collaborative environment at an awesome office near Union Square. There's a ping pong table and a pinball machine and plenty of free food and drinks. It's sunny and comfortable in here. You'll love it.
We offer competitive salaries, employee stock options and benefits, and an opportunity to be an integral part of something big. Plus fun. Lots of fun. If you think you'd be a good fit, let us know! We can't wait to meet you.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, BSE Computer Engineering
Intel, Doubleclick, Screaming Media, Major League Baseball, Hot Potato
I develop for iOS
I liked their product and the people creating it. They made me laugh and I knew GroupMe would be something I would use every single day, which is rare. I don't even shower every day.
I love working on something that I use, and I know would be useful to anyone that wants to communicate with a group of people. It's simple. You don't have to convince people why it's useful. It's also a fantastic team led by some inspiring people. To state it bluntly: It rarely feels like work.
I help organize a monthly meetup of creative types (whether tech/art/whatever) called the North Brooklyn Breakfast Club. It's a great way for people to talk about what they do and to get a good sense of the great things coming out of the Williamsburg/Greenpoint area. I also like photography and putting way too much time into what I wear. I probably spend 3 or 4 minutes a day deciding. I used to play guitar a lot, now I make sure it's propped up in the apartment to look like I just put it down before you arrived. I also work on some side projects, some of which see light of day, some of which are just exercises.
