ICQ Sold to the Russians

ICQ, the pioneering software that helped make New York minute electronic messaging a staple of life on the internet, has been sold to the Russians.

Originally developed past Israeli ship's company Genus Mirabilis, ICQ – "I Seek You" – was released to the public in 1996, finally giving people a way to easily and instantly contact their online friends from anywhere in the world. Less than two long time afterwards, AOL acquired Mirabilis for more than $400 jillio, simply competing software system like Take aim and MSN Messenger had already begun to muscularity in along the IM territory and in the years that followed, ICQ slowly declined in relevance.

ICQ still draws over 32 million unique visitors each month but more a quarter of them are from Russia, where IT remains the big dog in the IM fight. So it is that, as part of its "turnaround effort," AOL has officially unloaded the service onto Digital Sky Technologies, the largest cyberspace company in the "Russian-speaking and Eastern European food market," for $187.5 million: Not incisively chump exchange but still a significant loss for AOL.

But AOL's loss is DST's gain, as the expression goes. "ICQ's long-standing marque and its sizable ultranationalistic customer base together represent a very bewitching opportunity to further strengthen our position in the region," said DST CEO Yuri Milner.

It's a second odd to hear ICQ talked around like it's 1998 but the sentimentalist in me is happy to get word the old dog acquiring a bit of the power plant treatment again. After my UIN, which I'd had for well over a decade, was hijacked last year, I created a new one and quickly realized that nobody I recognize uses it anymore. It was a tragicomical day when I Bade that protocol farewell, but that sharp, jarring "Uh oh!" will forever have a rank in my heart.

Source: Business Wire

https://www.escapistmagazine.com/icq-sold-to-the-russians/

Source: https://www.escapistmagazine.com/icq-sold-to-the-russians/

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