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Rich Barton

04/18/25

@ Tim Ferriss

We were enamored of auctions, believing the US housing market should operate on an auction basis for efficient price discovery, but we learned that a real-time liquid market is necessary for auctions to work, which the housing market lacks.

Video

How Rich Barton Built Expedia and Zillow — Audacious Goals, Provocation Marketing, and More

@ Tim Ferriss

How Rich Barton Built Expedia and Zillow — Audacious Goals, Provocation Marketing, and More

04/18/25

Related Takeaways

Rory Sutherland

01/23/24

@ Chris Williamson

The property market is fundamentally different from other markets because it operates on a flawed heuristic that prioritizes affordability over actual need.

Rich Barton

04/18/25

@ Tim Ferriss

In pursuit of price discovery, we discovered the Zestimate, which became our killer feature, providing real-time estimated values for homes, akin to a stock chart, appealing to homeowners who care deeply about their largest asset.

Rich Barton

04/18/25

@ Tim Ferriss

I knew there would inevitably be a leading digital real estate marketplace in the US, and I wanted to be part of creating that solution.

Rich Barton

04/18/25

@ Tim Ferriss

We aimed to empower consumers in the real estate market just as we did in the travel industry, by making information accessible and transparent.

Rich Barton

04/18/25

@ Tim Ferriss

The idea for Zillow emerged from recognizing the lack of transparency in the real estate market, where basic information like home prices was hard to find online.

Adam Neumann

06/13/25

@ a16z

I learned that to disrupt the real estate industry, we need to integrate technology, design, and community into a cohesive vision.

Alfred Lin

07/31/14

@ Y Combinator

One of the early companies that joined Link Exchange was Auction Web, which later became known as eBay, highlighting how even successful companies needed promotion in their early days.

Sean Mitchell

05/04/18

@ Y Combinator

We’ve learned that the market teaches us about different types of landlords, from mom-and-pop operations to large firms, each with unique pain points.

Alfred Lin

07/31/14

@ Y Combinator

We were often surprised by the lack of investor interest, especially given the size of the market and the potential for e-commerce.