KAYAK’s New CEO on What No One Tells You About the Top Job

On this episode of Suite Success, host Katie Cline sits down with Peer Bueller, the new CEO of Kayak, about succeeding co-founder Steve Hafner and defining Kayak’s next era.

Peer shares what has surprised him most about stepping into the top job, why he’s more involved in the nitty-gritty of the business than he ever expected, and the leadership and productivity philosophies that have shaped his career. He also explains why he still manages his own calendar and books his own travel, how he gets more done by working at the right time rather than simply working more hours, and why he believes you can give 110% at work while still being the parent or partner you want to be.

Katie and Peer also dig into what AI will—and won’t—change about the way we travel. Peer shares where he believes conversational AI can make planning dramatically better, why traditional side-by-side comparison still matters, and how KAYAK is thinking about earning consumer trust as the way we search for and book travel evolves.

Plus, they discuss KAYAK’s bet on corporate travel, why Peer never had a decades-long plan to become CEO, what getting into rooms with other top executives taught him about reaching the top, and the discipline it takes to walk away from work when the work is never actually done.

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Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to Suite Success

00:36 Meet Kayak’s New CEO

01:26 Succeeding Steve Hafner

02:48 AI Changes Everything

04:17 Hybrid Search Experience