EXPEDIA: CHANGING PILOTS IN MID-CLIMB

摘要

Richard N. Barton was leading a charmed life. At 35, he ran one of the most successful Web businesses on the planet, online travel agency Expedia Inc. He harbored soaring ambitions. He saw Expedia taking control of much of the travel business, dictating terms and prices to airlines and hotel chains alike. In the past year, he had outmaneuvered none other than consummate dealmaker Barry Diller, chairman of USA Interactive, a 62% owner of Expedia. When Diller tried to buy the rest of Expedia, Barton's board thwarted him. Barton wasn't yet the king of travel, but he sure was a powerful prince on the rise.