Uber is reportedly exploring the possibility of acquiring travel booking platform Expedia Group, which owns well-known sites such as Trivago, Orbitz, and Vrbo, according to a recent report from the Financial Times. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who previously served as CEO and president of Expedia from 2005 to 2017, currently holds a non-executive position on Expedia’s board.
RBC Capital Markets equity analyst Brad Erickson discussed the potential merger and acquisition (M&A) move, highlighting Khosrowshahi’s connections to both companies. “The most basic statement is that when you think about anything that needs help to move from one place to another around the world—whether it’s a good, a person, or whatever—that’s what Uber wants to be,” Erickson told Yahoo Finance. “I think that’s what they’re pursuing with M&A.”
Despite his reservations regarding the feasibility of an Expedia deal, Erickson remains optimistic about Uber’s overall trajectory, suggesting that the company may not adopt the super app model favored by many Chinese tech developers.
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