LUXEMBOURG, 6 July 2010 — Skype today announced that it has hired Madhu Yarlagadda as the new Chief Development Officer. Madhu brings 22 years deep technical expertise to this role. He will join Skype in July and report to Josh Silverman, Skype’s CEO. Madhu’s responsibility will be global oversight of Skype’s engineering and development initiatives. Dan Berg, the current CTO, will remain at the company to manage a smooth transition.
“We are delighted that Madhu is joining the Skype management team. Skype touches millions of people globally everyday and Madhu’s deep experience in building massively scaled communications experiences is a perfect match for our innovative culture.” said Josh Silverman, Skype’s CEO. “I’d like to thank Dan for his significant contributions in steering, scaling and strengthening our global technology efforts.”
Madhu joins Skype from Yahoo! where he spent more than 11 years in key leadership positions. Most recently, he was VP of Engineering for Integrated Consumer Experiences (ICE), with responsibility for leading its engineering efforts for the many online Yahoo! properties, including its worldwide home pages. Madhu was also VP of Engineering for Yahoo! Communities, which encompassed Yahoo! Messenger, Voice (VoIP), Video, Flickr and Yahoo! Groups. He was instrumental in establishing Yahoo! Messenger as the largest messaging client in the US, surpassing ICQ, AIM, MSN Messenger and Google Talk.
“I am excited to be joining Skype at this critical stage in the company’s evolution,” said Madhu Yarlagadda. “It will be a real privilege to build on the many core strengths of the Skype’s global portfolio as the company continues to deliver groundbreaking customer experiences on new platforms and devices.”
Madhu began his Yahoo! career as GM of Yahoo! Mobile, where under his leadership, the business unit grew to being the most popular mobile destination across 18 countries. He also served as founder, president and CEO of MyQuest, Inc., a real-time messaging company acquired by Yahoo! in 1999. Earlier in his career, Madhu was founder and CTO of ISSG, an enhanced telecommunications application provider, where he was responsible for establishing successful relationships with major telecommunications providers.
About Skype
Skype is software that enables the world’s conversations. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users. Everyday, people everywhere also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles. Download Skype to your computer or mobile phone at skype.com.
Access to a broadband Internet connection is required. Skype is not a replacement for traditional telephone services and cannot be used for emergency calling. Skype recommends use of an unlimited data plan to avoid incurring additional charges from operators. Users should also be aware that extra charges may apply if they use Skype over a mobile data connection when abroad. Skype, associated trademarks and logos and the “S” symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited.
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