Pros

The executive leadership across Expedia is top-notch from our CEO to our divisional leaders. Bright, strategic, innovative, and really push others to raise (and clear) the bar. This isn't a hierarchical organization. Employees are encouraged, and expected, to speak up, work hard, raise flags, and find new ways of operating. The leaders speak frankly are both realistic and motivating at the same time. Dara (our CEO) especially is believable. He is whip-smart but can also speak to the masses in a clear and engaging way. There is a lot of opportunities for you to make your career your own. You don't come and stay in the same job for 5 years (unless you want to); rather you can gain new experience simply by raising your hand. People aren't overly concerned about titles here; as long as you have something to say and are willing to pitch in to get things done then you can basically make your own way. This is really motivating to those who want to see their fingerprints within a company v. being part of a large machine.

Cons

It's still a fairly new company so there are kinks when you are growing so fast, performing so well and creating structure on-the-go. There could be better processes in place but those are often resisted by this go-go crowd. The result is often inconsistency or simply re-building from scratch a lot of time. Because of some of the younger talent, there are more evident gaps in people management. A lot of your experience depends on how well your manager delegates & communication & looks out for your development. While that is true at most places, some managers at Expedia can lack either the experience or time to do these important steps. That said, many managers are brilliant at it. The key is to ask for what you need - repeatedly, if needed. Expedia gives a lot of leeway so you need to take control of your own path, too.

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in the development of the employees you have in addition to seeking new talent. Diversify at the senior-level. There's a lot of white men visible at the top. Continue to communicate openly and frequently. Upgrade our internal tools, like a better intranet, so we operate as flawlessly internally as we do on the consumer side.