Google has released an updated version of the Bard generative AI chatbot that includes extensions with real-time travel data for flights and hotels.
07.09.2023 - 03:19 / skift.com / Justin Dawes
Expedia Group has completed another round of layoffs. Tript Singh Lamba, a senior vice president of the travel booking giant, sent an internal message about the layoffs last Thursday, which was obtained by GeekWire.
“As we have begun looking to 2024, it is important that we are ready to ‘Build the world’s most loved AI powered travel apps.’ These changes to our org will help us take the next steps to move quickly and stay tightly aligned while simplifying where we can,” the message read.
Expedia did not answer questions about the layoffs but said in a statement to Skift: “We are committed to delivering great travel experiences for our customers as demand remains high. As we align operations to our business transformation, this has resulted in the elimination of some roles. We remain confident in our strategy and value the contribution of all our employees.”
Several former Expedia employees posted on Linkedin over the past week that they were affected by the cuts. One post by an unaffected employee said the layoffs impacted user research, design, content, and product management teams.
There were executive leadership changes among those, according to GeekWire. They include the departure of Eric Toyofuku, vice president of research and advocacy, as well as the hiring of Jonathan Finch, chief technology officer of global insurance for Amazon, to lead Expedia’s InsurTech business.
Skift reported in July that Expedia had completed a limited number of layoffs in product and tech as well as human resources. The company has carried out layoffs over the past three years to consolidate and realign operations.
Google has released an updated version of the Bard generative AI chatbot that includes extensions with real-time travel data for flights and hotels.
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