Darren Huston

Darren Huston Talking as CEO on Web Summit

Read the conversation between the Michel and Darren Huston on videos web summit.

Michel-

The Internet was a radically different place when it first started than it is today. Can you describe for us the changes? Can you describe for us what's actually happened? I think we have an opportunity to hear that from a very special guest today. And that would be terror in Houston. In the brief raucous history of the digital age where upheavals happen on almost a daily basis every year is a new day something always appears that signals the beginning of a trend or a transformation that will set off yet another round of ruthless and relentless change. 1998 was a year like that. Television and cable television companies introduced DSL and cable modems respectively.

HD TV arrived Pay Pal was founded the Apple II Mac to but in a tech company with a funny name Google was incorporated in California and a revolutionary startup that was destined to become as Derek just pointed out Google's largest advertiser all also launched in 1098. When Priceline dot com opened its doors virtually from its groundbreaking name your own price approach to transactions to its usually successful choice of spokes CAPTAIN Priceline became pope cultural touchstone almost instantly. But unlike so many other revolutionary tech companies Priceline bubble never burst. It jointly navigated the transformations that came after 1998 and today the Priceline group is the world's leading provider of online travel and related services operating in more than 200 countries through six primary brands booking dot com, Priceline com, Agodo dot com, kayak rental cars an open table during Euston president and CEO of the Priceline group celebrates his first year at the helm of this travel giant This past month.

A post he ascended to after serving as the CEO of booking dot com in the Netherlands. He came to Priceline from another history maker and where I got to know darn well Microsoft where he was a corporate vice president of consumer and online and before that when we actually first met the CEO of Microsoft Japan. He began his career at yet another iconic brand Starbucks where he was a senior vice president. Darren Huston is a thought leader steeped in the tradition of innovation and barrier breaking. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to chat today. Thank you dear. All right thank you. Just to kind a level set for the audience could you kind of talk about I gave some names but could you talk about the foundation of what is today the Priceline group.

Darren Huston-