TickerTain
TickerTain
NewsroomShortsPortfolioConvergence
NewsroomShortsPortfolioConvergence
←
▶ 8:03 · Payments & Banking Infrastructure · Merchant model transition unlocks payments revenue and global payment method arbitrage
episode briefing
Kleiner Perkins

Booking.com CEO on AI and the Future of Travel

2026-08-10 · 4 company · 4 thematic
sentiment
1 bull1 bear2 neu
speakers
glenn fogel

27-year veteran of Booking Holdings, architected global M&A strategy acquiring Booking.com, Agoda, Kayak, and OpenTable; grew company to $27B revenue across 220+ countries; now betting on AI-powered 'connected trip' vision.

episode shorts · 3

How AI Is Simplifying Travel at Booking Holdings

The Internet's Riskiest Travel Product

The Human Cost of AI

now playing · Payments & Banking Infrastructure
Payments & Banking Infrastructuretailwindscore 7/10glenn fogel
Merchant model transition unlocks payments revenue and global payment method arbitrage
By moving from agency to merchant model, Booking captures the payments flow — accepting dozens of local payment methods (Alipay, M-Pesa, iDEAL) from travelers and settling in suppliers' pre…
Tech Regulation & Antitrustheadwindscore 8/10glenn fogel
EU DMA gatekeeper designation for Booking is absurd and deviates from merger guidelines
The EU's Digital Markets Act incorrectly classifies Booking as one of seven global gatekeepers alongside Google and Meta based on quantitative thresholds, ignoring that travelers have many…
AI Applicationstailwindscore 8/10glenn fogel
AI-powered 'connected trip' will automate complex travel planning end-to-end
AI agents will replace human wedding planners and travel coordinators by instantly matching preferences to vendors (florists, bands, hotels) across complex multi-leg trips, with Booking alr…
AI Talent & Labor Marketmixedscore 7/10glenn fogel
AI literacy mandate for all employees as hedge against job displacement
Booking requires every employee to become AI-literate to enable internal redeployment when roles are automated, citing Harvey AI reducing legal headcount and predicting investment banking a…