What’s to Stop Microsoft From Shutting Down Excel?

Microsoft’s decision to shut down Skype marks the end of a service that once revolutionized digital communication. Purchased for $8.5 billion, Skype was the gold standard for video calls before being overtaken by Zoom, FaceTime, and WhatsApp.

Now, Microsoft is pulling the plug, citing a shift in consumer habits and the dominance of Microsoft Teams.

For longtime Skype users, the move is more than a minor inconvenience—it’s a stark reminder that even the most widely recognized tech services can disappear overnight. If Microsoft can discard Skype after years of brand recognition and global adoption, what’s to stop it from eventually doing the same to Excel?

The Myth of Permanence in Tech

Excel has been a cornerstone of digital productivity for decades, used by businesses, financial institutions, scientists, and students alike. It is deeply embedded in corporate workflows and academic research, with a global user base that depends on its spreadsheets for everything from budgeting to data analysis.

Yet, Skype was once thought of as just as indispensable. It was the go-to platform for international calls, business meetings, and remote collaborations. That didn’t stop Microsoft from pushing it aside in favor of Teams, a product designed to align better with its long-term business goals.

The same pattern could one day apply to Excel. While it may seem irreplaceable today, technological shifts and corporate priorities change. Microsoft’s focus on AI-driven solutions, automation, and cloud-based computing raises the question: Will Excel always exist in its current form, or is it simply awaiting a slow phase-out in favor of a more profitable alternative?

A Future Without Excel?

The idea of Excel being discontinued may sound absurd. After all, it remains one of Microsoft’s most widely used products, generating significant revenue as part of the Microsoft 365 suite. It’s regularly used to create dashboards for spreadsheets.

But several factors could make its long-term survival uncertain.

First, Microsoft has been aggressively expanding its cloud-based tools, such as Power BI and Fabric, which offer advanced data analytics beyond what traditional spreadsheets provide. As artificial intelligence and automation continue to reshape digital work, the company may decide that static spreadsheets are no longer essential to its vision.

Second, corporate strategies do not always align with consumer needs. Microsoft has made abrupt shifts before, retiring software that millions still relied on—Skype is just one example. Internet Explorer, once the world’s most used browser, was shut down in favor of Edge.

About 11 years ago, Windows Live Messenger was discarded in favor of Skype, which is now facing the same fate. Microsoft is not sentimental about legacy products, even if they were once market leaders.

The push toward subscription-based services means that Excel’s standalone version could gradually disappear. While Microsoft will likely never eliminate spreadsheets, it could morph Excel into something unrecognizable, folding its capabilities into AI-driven, cloud-exclusive tools that require continuous payment rather than a one-time software purchase.

But if Excel’s dominance can be questioned, what about other major services? You can already connect Python to Google Sheets. And that kind of product improvement comes at no real cost to the consumer. It bodes well for those who use this free spreadsheet software; it shows the company continues to invest in it.

But Google has a history of abruptly killing off products, from Google Reader to Hangouts. Even Microsoft Teams, the very service replacing Skype, is not immune to Microsoft’s shifting priorities.

The fundamental issue remains: tech users have little control over the platforms they depend on. No matter how essential a service seems today, its fate ultimately lies in the hands of corporate decision-makers balancing revenue and market trends.

Will Microsoft Ever Stop Supporting Excel?

For now, Excel is safe. It’s a fundamental tool in global industries, and there is no immediate sign that Microsoft intends to replace it. However, the lesson from Skype’s shutdown is that nothing in tech is truly permanent. Businesses evolve, priorities shift, and software once deemed indispensable can vanish with little warning.

While it’s unlikely that Excel will be outright eliminated anytime soon, Microsoft’s history of abrupt changes suggests that users should always be prepared. The tools we take for granted today may not exist tomorrow—not because they lack value but because their parent companies decide they no longer fit the corporate vision.

For more on Excel and Google Sheets, visit Spreadsheet Point.