Skype As We Know It May Not Exist Much Longer, eBay Says

This smells of a heavy-handed ploy by Skype's founders to force the sale back to them of Skype for a low price. If eBay did indeed not purchase the core IP along with Skype, then they have no one to blame but themselves.

It's the end of the world as we know it...

I really don't think that there is much or a danger of skype disappearing - it's too valuable. Worst case scenario is that it reverts back to it's previous owners and/or continue under a different name.

But, realistically, I doubt that anything will change. EBay has deep pockets, and I'm sure that they won't give this up easily. I doubt that they would license a technology, and then lose the license without a fight. Ebay does not like egg on its face.