Expedia (EXPE) Stock Drops as New CFO Appointment Spooks Investors Before Earnings

TLDR

• Expedia named Derek Andersen, former Snap CFO, as its new chief financial officer, effective May 11, 2026.
• Current CFO Scott Schenkel will stay through the May 7 earnings call before departing May 16.
• EXPE stock fell 5.4% to $250.37 following the announcement.
• Andersen’s pay package includes a $1M base salary, $2.5M signing bonus, and $17M in equity grants.
• Expedia clarified Schenkel’s exit is not tied to any disagreement over operations or accounting.

Expedia Group (EXPE) dropped 5.4% to $250.37 on Wednesday after the online travel giant announced it was bringing in a new CFO just weeks before its first-quarter earnings report.

Expedia Group, Inc., EXPE

Derek Andersen, who spent nearly seven years as CFO at Snap, will take the top finance seat at Expedia effective May 11. He’ll report directly to CEO Ariane Gorin.

Current CFO Scott Schenkel will stay on through the May 7 earnings call — the last one he’ll oversee — before officially leaving the company on May 16. That leaves just a nine-day window between the new CFO starting and the old one walking out the door.

Expedia was clear in its SEC filing that Schenkel isn’t leaving over any dispute. The company said there was no disagreement related to operations, accounting, or company policy.

Schenkel had been in the role for about 16 months. During that time, the company credited him with strengthening the balance sheet and expanding margins.

A Well-Traveled Finance Executive

Andersen, 48, joins from Snap where he served as CFO from May 2019 through April 2026. Before that, he held senior finance roles at Amazon’s digital video business and Fox Interactive Media.

CEO Gorin called him “the right financial executive,” pointing to his background in technology-driven businesses. Andersen said he’s looking forward to “returning to Seattle” and helping push Expedia into its “next phase of performance and profitability.”

His compensation package is substantial. It includes a $1 million base salary, a $2.5 million cash signing bonus, and an initial equity grant worth $17 million in restricted stock units. He’s also eligible for annual equity awards targeting $10 million, plus relocation support if he moves to Washington by July 2027.

Timing Raises Eyebrows

The transition lands at a tricky moment. Online travel companies, including Expedia, are under growing pressure from the rise of AI-powered search tools that could change how people book trips.

Investors are already watching closely to see how Expedia navigates that shift. A CFO change right before earnings doesn’t help calm those nerves.

Expedia’s sell-off was steeper than its rivals. Booking Holdings fell 1.5% and Airbnb slid 1.6% on the same day — both lower, but nothing close to Expedia’s drop.

The day before the announcement, TD Cowen raised its price target on EXPE from $260 to $285, while keeping a Hold rating. The most recent analyst consensus sits at Hold with a $255 price target.

Snap named Doug Hott as its replacement CFO on April 20, just days before Expedia’s announcement.

Expedia’s portfolio includes Expedia.com, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. The company also runs one of the largest B2B travel platforms, serving corporate clients across more than 70 countries.

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