# Expedia & Zillow: Rich Barton

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2021-06-14
- Length: 1h 03m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-06-14-expedia-zillow-rich-barton

## Summary

Rich Barton, co-founder of Expedia and Zillow, explains how he leveraged Microsoft's resources to launch Expedia by empowering consumers to book travel online, bypassing traditional travel agents. He then co-founded Zillow to solve information asymmetry in real estate, introducing the 'Zestimate' algorithm that crashed the site upon launch due to overwhelming traffic. Barton details the strategic pivot from failed home auctions to data-driven estimates, the challenges of licensing proprietary data, and Zillow's evolution into a market-maker with Zillow Offers.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-06-14-expedia-zillow-rich-barton#t=0) Introduction: Rich Barton and the Power of Information
- [5:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-06-14-expedia-zillow-rich-barton#t=314) Expedia: Pitching Bill Gates and Disrupting Travel
- [21:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-06-14-expedia-zillow-rich-barton#t=1293) Zillow's Origin: Frustration with Real Estate Data
- [31:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-06-14-expedia-zillow-rich-barton#t=1903) The Zestimate: From Failed Auctions to Algorithmic Valuation
- [41:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-06-14-expedia-zillow-rich-barton#t=2486) Zillow Launch: Crashing the Site and Managing PR
- [46:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-06-14-expedia-zillow-rich-barton#t=2772) Business Model: Advertising, Data Licensing, and Zillow Offers
- [57:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-06-14-expedia-zillow-rich-barton#t=3469) Pandemic Impact and Future of Real Estate E-commerce

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Expedia (company)
- Zillow (company)
- Glass Door (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- MSN (product)
- Prodigy (product)
- Zestimate (product)
- Zillow Offers (product)
- Bill Gates (other)
- Lloyd Frank (other)
- David Vitel (other)
- Walt Mossberg (other)
- Spencer Rascoff (other)
- Robert Holman (other)
- Gordon Stevenson (other)
- Amy Batinski (other)
- Netscape (company)
- AOL (company)
- Carfax (company)
- Vanguard (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [199: Selling a New Product Successfully on Amazon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-10-28-199-selling-a-new-product-successfully-on-amazon) (Product Startup)
- [Rooting for the Home Team with Paul Freedman and Bryan Carmel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2026-05-27-rooting-for-the-home-team-with-paul-freedman-and-bryan-carmel) (Oxide and Friends)

## Citing this page

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