Skype Said to Fire Executives, Avoiding Payouts After Microsoft Takeover

Skype Technologies SA, the Internet-calling service being bought by Microsoft, is firing senior executives before the deal closes, a move that reduces the value of their payout.

Vice Presidents David Gurle, Christopher Dean, Russ Shaw and Don Albert were dismissed from the Luxembourg-based company. Chief Marketing Officer Doug Bewsher and Anne Gillespie, head of human resources, were also fired. Executives Ramu Sunkara and Allyson Campa, from the 2011 Qik purchase, were also let go. The timing of the dismissals means stock options will be worth less than if the executives stayed until the closing of the $8.5 billion deal, the people said. When a company gets bought, compensation is often tied to the purchase price, said Neil Sims, a managing director at Boyden, a search firm. “All is good if you’re staying with that transition team or you’re packaged out,” said Sims, who is based in San Francisco. “But if you’re eliminated unceremoniously, without a package and without some negotiation, you could certainly lose unvested options.”