Science Quote by Niklas Zennstrom

“Free and simple” is the bait; “costs us virtually nothing” is the real thesis. Zennstrom is doing the classic early-2000s tech maneuver: reframing generosity as physics. Skype isn’t free because its founders are benevolent; it’s free because the marginal cost of adding one more user to a software network trends toward zero. That small phrase, “virtually nothing,” quietly smuggles in an entire business worldview: once you’ve built the platform, growth becomes less like manufacturing and more like replication.

The intent is persuasive, aimed at skeptical consumers and investors alike. To users, it promises frictionless adoption: no technician, no new hardware, no bill. To the market, it signals scale. If onboarding is nearly costless, the only meaningful constraint is speed of diffusion, so “free” becomes a growth engine rather than a pricing decision. The subtext is that the network itself is the product. Each additional person doesn’t just join; they increase Skype’s value for everyone else, making “free” feel natural, even inevitable.

Context matters: this is the post-dotcom era when tech had to justify audacious claims with something sturdier than hype. Zennstrom leans on a quasi-scientific logic (inputs, costs, networks) to legitimize a radical proposition: communication can be unbundled from the phone company and priced at zero. Of course, “virtually nothing” also works as a soft focus lens, blurring server costs, bandwidth, and the eventual need to monetize. Free is the pitch; scale is the plan.