We took 150 people from Microsoft to join Expedia, and almost all of them chose to take the adventure, which was a testament to the opportunity we presented.

I pitched the spin-out of Expedia as an HR experiment to retain talent, as Microsoft was so large that many talented individuals could hide away and not contribute meaningfully.

Expedia started as a venture within Microsoft, and I left the operating system group to pursue it because of my wife's medical residency requirements.

I pitched the idea of Expedia as a consumer-focused travel software company, emphasizing that it should prioritize travel over software.

I asked for $100 million for a television advertising campaign for Expedia, believing we could build the biggest brand in travel.

On the day of Expedia's IPO, my son was born, and I jokingly promised the team I would name him Expedia if that happened.

Expedia was profitable and growing rapidly, which made it a successful business even during the dot-com crash, unlike Microsoft, which took years to recover.

Involve your team and investors in the hiring process after making an offer to help close candidates who may be hesitant about leaving larger companies.

When recruiting, it's beneficial to be upfront about the hard aspects of the job while highlighting the amazing opportunities it presents.