Uber-Expedia Super Deal? Our Answers to 10 Big Questions
Photo Credit: Uber has reportedly been in early talks to buy Expedia Group. Flickr / Focal Foto
Skift Take
Large scale acquisitions between consumer travel brands are rare these days, but now there are rumblings of one between Uber and Expedia. Could it work out? We're skeptical.
A report in the Financial Times Wednesday that Uber was exploring a purchase of Expedia has everyone in the travel industry talking. If Uber were to acquire Expedia Group, it would be the biggest shakeup the travel industry has seen in years.
And it would be Uber’s biggest deal ever. Uber has been dipping its toes into travel, but the company would be diving in head first if it bought a major online travel company.
To be clear, it’s all speculation at this point. An Expedia spokesperson told Skift on Wednesday that the company isn’t commenting. Uber did not respond to a request for comment.
Even if it was just a trial balloon, it raises other possibilities: Expedia, a big brand with a depressed stock price, could attract other potential acquirers or activist investors. (Here’s one argument for a deal by Amazon, a fellow Seattle-based company with deep pockets.)
Uber could seek out other targets. For example, it
