Twenty years later, Google is the leading global player in travel metasearch. Steve Hafner can do little about that but argues travelers can snack on Google but they should come to Kayak for better results when they are ready to book.
Tech companies have been hard hit by layoffs in 2023. Expedia Group, which has been consolidating its workforce since 2019, continues to tinker with staff levels.
Having OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on the Expedia Group board for the last few years certainly didn't hurt Expedia's ChatGPT rollout, although it's been using artificial intelligence for years.
The travel industry has long hoped for something to counter-balance the pecking order in Big Tech. It's not assured, but this time around generative AI could make it happen.
The advent of user reviews in travel was a disruptive and positive force, and they in turn may indeed get upended or greatly modified as new technologies take hold.