Bill Gates: Skype deal was great for Microsoft

The founder of Microsoft said that he “was a strong proponent at the board level for the deal being done”.

Skype, the internet video calling service, was bought by Microsoft last week. The deal is the largest acquisition Microsoft has ever made.

Some analysts have questioned whether Microsoft overpaid but Mr Gates insisted that they did not. He told the BBC: “I think it’s a great, great deal for Skype. I think it’s a great deal for Microsoft.”

He added: “It’ll be fascinating to see how the brilliant ideas out of Microsoft research, coming together with Skype, what they can make of that.”

Mr Gates is still chairman of Microsoft but he stepped back from his full-time role at the company in 2008 to focus on charity work.

Asked whether the PC age was coming to an end, Mr Gates said: “The PC is the tablet, all these digital devices are going to work together so the importance of software is higher today than ever.

“And Microsoft write to everything that software runs on, so you’re going to see PCs where you’re saying ‘is that a tablet? Is that a phone?’. The words are going to change because the innovation is so rapid.”