Microsoft will purchase Skype for 8.5 billion, making it the largest deal in Microsoft’s 36-year history. Skype’s popularity is due in part to it’s functionality across operating systems and it’s free calling services. If executed properly, this can greatly improve Microsoft’s hold on internet properties as well as the gaming industry. For more on Microsoft’s strategy and the impact of this deal on the global communications industry is Andrew Ross Sorkin, chief mergers and acquisitions reporter for The New York Times.