EBay to Spin Off Skype in IPO Next Year

Ebay plans to end its uneasy relationship with Skype by offloading the ill-fitting acquisition through an IPO early next year, Bloomberg reports. Analysts say the move could raise up to $1 billion for eBay, depending on how much equity the auction powerhouse wants to give up. The company declined to comment on reports that Skype's creators want to buy it back.

“The only problem with Skype is it’s part of EBay,” an analyst tells Bloomberg. “It’s a marriage made in hell. They will make more money from spinning it out than they ever could by keeping it.” (More IPO stories.)