Tripadvisor to Merge 2 Businesses as Activist Investors Urge Sale

Core Insights - Tripadvisor Group is planning to merge its Tripadvisor and Viator businesses due to pressure from activist investors to consider selling the entire company or its other division, TheFork [1][3] - The merger is expected to result in significant layoffs among the engineering staff [2] - Tripadvisor's revenue for Q2 was reported at $529 million, reflecting a 7% year-over-year increase [3][4] Business Strategy - CEO Matt Goldberg emphasized the company's disciplined investment decisions and the shift towards higher growth opportunities in travel [5] - Tripadvisor has been exploring potential acquisition interests since February 2024, with discussions authorized by its board [5] - The company is set to release its Q3 financial results on November 6 [6] Partnerships and Technology - Tripadvisor partnered with AI startup Perplexity to enhance its travel resources with advanced search capabilities [6] - The company was named an external data and intelligence partner for Microsoft Azure AI Agent Service, integrating its extensive reviews and contributions into Azure's AI capabilities [7]