Expedia, the popular travel booking company, has recently announced the departures of Rathi Murthy, its Chief Technology Officer (CTO), and Sreenivas Rachamadugu, the Senior Vice President of Core Services Product & Engineering. According to Expedia, both executives are “no longer employed at Expedia Group” due to a violation of company policy. The company has not provided further details about the nature of the violation.
In response to inquiries from Bloomberg and other media outlets, Expedia issued a statement confirming the departures and stating that they are actively searching for replacements. The company expressed confidence in its technology, strategy, and employees, but due to confidentiality reasons, it declined to provide any further comments on the matter.
TechCrunch, a leading technology news source, reached out to Expedia to confirm the news and request additional comments. As of now, there has been no response from the company.
The unexpected nature of Murthy’s and Rachamadugu’s departures is notable. Murthy had recently spoken to TechCrunch about the new AI-powered features that Expedia had announced earlier in the week. Additionally, she had given a presentation on these features at an Expedia conference with business partners. This suggests that their departures came as a surprise to both the industry and the company itself.
It is worth mentioning that both Murthy and Rachamadugu joined Expedia in 2021, coming from Verizon Media (formerly known as Yahoo), which was then the parent company of TechCrunch. Their backgrounds in technology and engineering made them valuable assets to Expedia’s tech-focused initiatives.
This recent leadership shake-up at Expedia follows another significant change in the company’s top management. Ariane Gorin, who was announced as the new CEO of Expedia Group in February, officially assumed her role this week. Gorin’s appointment signifies a fresh start for the company and adds to the ongoing transformation within its leadership team.
While the specific reasons behind Murthy’s and Rachamadugu’s departures remain undisclosed, it is clear that Expedia is actively working to fill these key positions. The company’s focus on technology and its commitment to its employees and strategy indicate that it is determined to maintain its position as a leading player in the online travel industry. As the search for new CTO and SVP candidates progresses, it will be interesting to see how Expedia’s technology and product development will evolve under new leadership.