Seattle-based travel giant Expedia Group is laying off 36 workers in Washington, according to a new filing with the state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) system.
A spokesperson for Expedia confirmed the cuts and said they are part of a workforce reduction announced earlier this year.
In an internal memo sent to employees in February, Expedia said it expected about 1,500 roles to be impacted, primarily in its Product & Technology division, under an operational review. That accounts for more than 8% of its workforce.
“As we indicated earlier this year, we’ve recently completed many of our significant technical milestones and we’re prioritizing essential work and reviewing operations, potentially impacting up to 1,500 roles globally,” Expedia said in a statement to GeekWire. “The proposed impacts announced today are part of the roles that we previously announced we were evaluating in 2024. While some roles may be affected, this review allows for investment in key growth areas. Consultation with local employee representatives, where applicable, will occur before making any final decisions.”
A filing with the Washington Employment Security Department in February showed 208 employees getting laid off in the state.
In an earlier regulatory filing, Expedia said it will incur pre-tax charges of $80 million to $100 million related to the broader layoffs.
After peaking at more than 25,000 employees in 2019, the company employed 14,800 people as of 2021, following a restructuring just prior to the pandemic.
Expedia has made smaller cutbacks in recent years, including an unspecified number of jobs last year in its Traveler Products team, part of Product & Technology division. However, its total employment still rose to 17,100 at the end of 2023, with about half of those positions in tech roles, according to Expedia’s annual 10-K filing.
Expedia Group includes brands such as vrbo, Orbitz, Hotwire, Trivago, and Hotels.com in addition to the flagship Expedia.com.
The company has combined the tech platform beneath its different brands in recent years, and launched a unified travel loyalty program called One Key for Expedia, Hotels.com and vrbo.
Expedia reported $2.9 billion in revenue for its first quarter, up 8% year-over-year, but shares fell after the earnings release this month after the company said a tech migration was going slower than expected.
Expedia’s new CEO, Ariane Gorin, started in her new role earlier this month. Gorin, a longtime Expedia leader, replaced former CEO Peter Kern as part of a move announced in February.
Former Expedia CTO Rathi Murthy and Sreenivas Rachamadugu, senior vice president, core services product and engineering, abruptly left the company earlier this month due to what the online travel giant called a “violation of company policy.”
