In a surprising turn of events, Expedia Group announced the departure of its Chief Technology Officer, Rathi Murthy, and Senior Vice President of Core Services Product & Engineering, Sreenivas Rachamadugu. This announcement, made just one week after Ariane Gorin assumed the role of CEO, cited a “violation of company policy” as the reason for their exits. Specific details regarding the policy violation were not disclosed.
Expedia Group, headquartered in Seattle, is actively seeking replacements for these key positions. The company expressed confidence in its technology, strategy, and employees during this transitional period.
Murthy and Rachamadugu both joined Expedia Group in 2021 from Verizon Media, where Murthy served as CTO and Rachamadugu held the position of VP of Engineering and Product. At Expedia, Murthy had a prominent role, most recently speaking at the company’s annual partner conference in Las Vegas, where she introduced new AI initiatives, including the AI travel assistant, Romie.
Despite her high-profile role at the conference, Murthy’s tenure at Expedia was abruptly ended. She later issued a statement through a spokesperson, maintaining her commitment to integrity and expressing pride in her contributions to the company. Rachamadugu did not attend the conference.
The policy violation behind their departure is unrelated to performance issues. Expedia’s policies cover a wide array of conduct, from bullying and sexual harassment to conflicts of interest and financial integrity.
This leadership shakeup follows recent challenges for Expedia, including a slower-than-expected tech platform migration and a significant global tech outage earlier in May. These issues affected key brands such as Vrbo and Hotels.com.
Under the new leadership of CEO Ariane Gorin, Expedia Group continues to push forward with its technology and strategy initiatives, despite the recent turbulence. The company remains focused on its AI-related projects and the rollout of the One Key loyalty program across its various brands, which include Expedia.com, Vrbo, Orbitz, Hotwire, Trivago, and Hotels.com.