Expedia says two executives fired for ‘violation of company policy’

Expedia says Rathi Murthy and Sreenivas Rachamadugu, CTO and SVP of Core Services Product and Engineering, respectively, are no longer employed by the travel booking company.

In a statement shared with TechCrunch and other publications, Expedia said Murthy and Rachamadugu are “no longer employed at Expedia Group” due to an unspecified “violation of company policy.”

“We are actively seeking to fill these positions and remain confident in our technology, strategy and people,” the company said. “For reasons of confidentiality, we will not make any further comment on this matter.”

The departures of Murthy and Rachamadugu seem unexpected. Murthy spoke to TechCrunch about the new AI-powered features announced earlier this week, and she reportedly gave a presentation on those features at an Expedia conference with business partners.

“Throughout my career, I have conducted myself with a commitment to the highest level of integrity,” Murthy said in a statement. “I am proud of my work at Expedia and have always strived to serve the best interests of the company. I look forward to sharing my story when the time is right and setting the record straight.

They both joined Expedia in 2021, coming from Verizon Media, then the parent company of TechCrunch (now Yahoo).

This isn’t the only recent change in leadership at the company. Ariane Gorin, announced as Expedia Group’s new CEO in February, officially took office this week.

This post has been updated with a statement from Rathi Murthy.