Microsoft, a company that apparently has 8.5 billion dollars just sitting around, is evidently purchasing Skype for a figure rumored to be close to 8 billion. Last night, the Wall Street Journal was saying between 7 and 8 billion, this morning I’m reading 8.5 in an all cash deal. Regardless, it’s easily the biggest acquisition in Microsoft history. Skype’s current owners are eBay and Silver Lake Partners and they’ve apparently been looking to get rid of it for a while. So why does Microsoft do this? Skype could fit in well with Office products in the workplace. It also gets Microsoft a little more in the game in the mobile space. If Skype could be really well integrated and baked in to Windows Phones, that’s a legit competitor to Apple’s Facetime and it sets up well for the future where (allegedly) we all make video calls all the time. Microsoft is already being knocked around for overpaying for Skype.