Skift Call on Expedia’s New Leadership and 25 Other Digital Trends This Week

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines digital trends.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

Shakeup at Expedia and Uber

>>This pick came out of left field, but totally makes sense considering the path that Khosrowshahi has led Expedia along over the past decade and more: Uber’s New CEO Is Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi

>>There are five tons of heavy lifting to be done to reenergize and transform Uber — and it all has to be done in one of the brightest business spotlights that there is. Uber has made its selection — let’s see how Khosrowshahi begins to handle it: Can Uber’s New CEO Dara Khosrowshahi Turn It Around Like He Did Expedia?

>>Khosrowshahi has been reflective and honest as CEO of Expedia, taking ownership of his failures along the way. At Uber, the company will have a leader who has overseen both explosive growth and clever repositioning: Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: Understanding Uber’s New CEO Pick

>>Expedia has promising candidates if it chooses to look internally for a permanent replacement for outgoing CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Our guess for the interim pick is CFO Mark Okerstrom: Expedia’s New CEO: Who’s Who in Executive Leadership

>>We can’t blame Khosrowshahi for seizing a nearly once-in-a-lifetime challenge to right the trajectory of a unicorn, Uber, but this is also a very awkward time to leave Expedia. Now there will be two big-time CEOs under the gun: Priceline’s new top guy, Glenn Fogel, and Khosrowshahi’s successor at Expedia: Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to Leave Company With Unfinished Business

>>With a two-decade track record in online travel, Khosrowshahi has had his duck-and-cover as well as been-on-a-mountaintop moments. If Uber’s looking for a steady hand, and a guy with experience who isn’t afraid to take a U-turn when called for, then they could have done a helluva lot worse: 8 Insights Into Uber CEO Pick Dara Khosrowshahi From Peers and Rivals

>>Khosrowshahi takes over a unicorn in Uber and will have the challenge of his life to get the ride-share company speeding along and toward an IPO with a trunk-full of controversies and problems. The choice of the next Expedia CEO to succeed him is indeed a critical one that will have far-reaching implications: Expedia CEO Starts New Job as Uber Boss Today

>>Will Uber, under Khosrowshahi, continue to push even deeper into corporate travel as he attempts to turn the company around? Seems likely: Expedia’s Loss Is Uber’s Gain — Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report

>>What would make Expedia obsolete and cause Khosrowshahi to leave? Expedia’s now-former CEO answered that question for us last year and talked about big technology trends a few years in the offing. But is he bolting because he thinks Expedia’s best days are behind it? The Other Reason Expedia’s CEO Would Have Left His Company

>>Suddenly former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi walks away from substantial unvested compensation. Becoming CEO of Uber may have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Khosrowshahi, but we expect that Uber had to compensate him for his treasure trove of unvested options to pry him away: The Money Uber’s New CEO Left Behind at Expedia

>>There is only one vote that mattered in Expedia’s abbreviated CEO search — Barry Diller’s. And he wholeheartedly wanted Okerstrom for the job. No need to mess around with an interim title or to conduct the dog and pony show of a CEO search. It was a done deal. Now Okerstrom has to step up to the challenge: Expedia’s New CEO Is Mark Okerstrom

>>A lot of CEOs say they will maintain the policies of their predecessors. But when huge challenges surface, it will be up to Okerstrom to be his own guy, and chart a new course when necessary: Expedia’s New CEO on What He’d Like to Change

>>For all the chaos earlier this week, it seems like Barry Diller and the Expedia Inc. board of directors have ensured an orderly transition into a new era for the online travel giant: Expedia Names New CFO as Orderly Transition Unfolds After CEO’s Abrupt Departure

>>Expedia Inc. moved quickly to name a successor to departed CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, but the group of brands including Hotels.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotwire, HomeAway, and more will have challenges ahead. Understand them better by listening to our experts: Skift Call: Expedia Under New Leadership

Other Digital Trends This Week

>>It’s clear that there are ways in which luxury brands can differentiate their customer experience using artificial intelligence, but it will require a sophistication that is still unseen in the travel industry: Artificial Intelligence’s Unrecognized Potential for Luxury Travel Brands

>>TUI’s chief executive is nailing his colors to the mast when it comes to blockchain and its benefits for the travel industry. In theory the technology is great — and TUI has already identified an effective way to use it — but will the hype be justified? 6 Blockchain Takeaways From Tour Operator TUI’s Hotel Initiative

>>Expedia’s purchase price for a majority stake in SilverRail was double the sum that SilverRail had raised from investors. The price tag was a multiple of the investment but not a stellar exit for shareholders: Expedia Spent $148 Million to Buy SilverRail for Its Train Booking Tech

>>Alice is now majority-owned by Expedia. That brings heft to its dream of becoming the largest data machine in hospitality for operations and guest service: Expedia Leads $26 Million Alice Investment in Hotel Tech Push

>>If mobile is increasingly becoming a more popular channel, not only for booking and search but also for in-destination travel experiences, this report is proof that hotels have a lot of work to do when it comes to their apps: Most Hotel Apps Still Need a Radical Overhaul

>>The conventional wisdom has been that flash sales can’t be a profitable model during economic good times. The apparent success of Secret Escapes puts the lie to that notion: Secret Escapes Is Growing on Acquisitions and Flash Sales’ Stubborn Viability

>>Google now prods its users to try to cut their travel costs by considering alternative airports and other tricks. Yet the incremental moves may not appease a European watchdog that may question its broader business practices in travel: Google May Finally Face a Showdown With Regulators Over Its Evolving Travel Tools

>>Ctrip is betting on 6,000 franchise shops to take aim at cities where most travel shopping happens offline. At the same time, it hopes to increase its operating margins to Priceline-like levels. The two initiatives don’t necessarily collide since Ctrip doesn’t own the real estate or pay labor costs for the offline shops: Ctrip Makes Offline Store Push in China as Its Profit Margins Rise

>>Increasing competition in the event sector has attracted more technology companies to provide solutions for current bottlenecks: Tech Adoption for Event Organizers Is Spotty

>>Travel startups raised more than $72 million this week. The most promising of these is Treebo, which is banking on branded hotel networks as a niche in India: India Hotel Network Treebo Raises $34 Million: Travel Startup Funding This Week

>>Skyscanner is boosting Ctrip’s margins, and Skyscanner’s new instant booking service shows promise as a way to propel future growth: Skyscanner Deal Is Starting to Work Out For Ctrip

>>You can’t blame the Priceline Group and Kayak for cutting costs and axing employees because they are part of a public company and their role is to make money for shareholders. Still, Kayak should do as much as possible to ease the transition for the people who built the Cheapflights and Momondo brands: Kayak Sets Layoff Process in Motion for Nearly 50 Momondo Group Employees