Okay, if EBay never actually paid $4.1B for Skype (the article claims more like $3.1B before writedowns) then the net-net seems to be okay or even mildly positive for EBay. Seems like a different conclusion.

I wonder, though, if EBay could have invested that same chunk of change in improving their core business and competancy, how much better it could be [the answer, of course, may well be "not at all"]? And was Skype at all improved by nesting under the EBay banner...?