Skype was already using VP8 for group chat before the MS buyout; I doubt Microsoft was driving the choice to use it for one-on-one as well. I'd just see this as

Skype was already using VP8 for group chat before the MS buyout; I doubt Microsoft was driving the choice to use it for one-on-one as well. I'd just see this as an effort to simplify their code, for now. PS: It's also possible that they could be standardizing on VP8 so they can have Skype in the browser sans plugin with WebRTC; but I'm not sure if WebRTC would be workable with Skype's protocols.