Expedia would be Uber’s biggest acquisition to date|ajay_suresh|CC BY 2.0
Uber considered acquiring Expedia, the world’s fourth-largest travel booking site with a market value of over $20 billion.
It would be Uber’s biggest acquisition as it seeks to grow its business beyond ride-hailing, reports the Financial Times.
The move is part of its plan to diversify into areas like travel, logistics, and more. The app, worth around $173 billion, already offers food delivery, freight, and even yacht rides.
Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, served as the CEO of Expedia between 2005 and 2017 and still holds a non-executive position on its board.
However, no formal offer has been made yet. If the deal goes through, it will help Uber become a “super app” like China’s WeChat, where users can book rides, make travel plans, order food, etc., all in one place.
Uber has made some significant purchases since it went public in 2019.
- Postmates (food delivery) for $2.65 billion
- Careem (Middle Eastern ride-hailing) for $3.1 billion
- Drizly (alcohol delivery) for $1.1 billion, which shut down this year
- Transplace (freight and logistics business) for $2.25 billion