TripAdvisor founder and CEO Steve Kaufer has been one of the the most outspoken critics of Google’s search practices in digital travel.
In the most recent round of quarterly earnings, several other CEOs jumped on the same bandwagon by calling out Google as a headwind.
But for TripAdvisor, perhaps its biggest announcement during its most recent earnings call was its strategic partnership with Trip.com Group.
As part of the new venture, Trip.com Group will invest $318 million in TripAdvisor.
Two weeks after the announcement, Kaufer was interviewed at the Phocuswright Conference in Florida.
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Kaufer addresses the competitive online travel landscape against Google, as well as his views on the Trip.com Group partnership.
During the interview, Phocuswright analyst Alice Jong asks Kaufer if the $318 million investment “is a down payment for something bigger?”
“I don’t think about that,” says Kaufer. “I think about running TripAdvisor.”
Watch the full interview:
Executive Interview: TripAdvisor - The Phocuswright Conference