EBay sells Skype for $2bn

California - EBay has completed its sale of Skype for about $2bn to an investor group that included the founders of the internet phone service.

Last week, the online auction site settled a legal skirmish with co-founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis which allowed the deal to move forward. The settlement gave Skype ownership of critical software that had been licensed from the company they founded, Joltid.

Ebay said Thursday it sold a 70% stake in the company for about $1.9bn plus $125m that it will receive at a later date. The company is keeping the remaining 30% stake.

The settlement means Zennstrom and Friis get a 14% stake in Skype. The investor group, led by Silver Lake, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Andreessen Horowitz, get 56% ownership.

San Jose, California-based Ebay also purchased senior debt securities worth $50m to help finance the deal.

- AP