# Rich Barton

> Rich Barton founded Expedia within Microsoft, co-founded Zillow and Glassdoor, and built a career around making travel, property and workplace information accessible to consumers. He is co-founder and co-executive chairman of Zillow Group, a Netflix director and a Stanford trustee. In June 2026 he announced that he had become a Las Vegas resident.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Co-Executive Chairman at Zillow Group
- **Organizations:** Expedia, Microsoft, Zillow Group, Glassdoor, Benchmark Capital, Netflix, Stanford University, Barton Family Foundation, Trover
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in General Engineering: Industrial Economics, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Founded Expedia inside Microsoft and led its 1999 public spin-off., Co-founded Zillow, which launched with estimates on approximately 40 million U.S. homes., Co-founded Glassdoor and served as non-executive chairman until its 2018 acquisition by Recruit Holdings.

## Career timeline

- **1989** — Graduated from Stanford and began a consulting career at Alliance Consulting Group.
- **1991** — Joined Microsoft as a product manager working on MS-DOS.
- **1994** — Founded the Expedia project inside Microsoft.
- **1996** — Expedia launched on the web on October 22.
- **1999** — Led Expedia through its public spin-off from Microsoft as president and CEO.
- **2003** — Left Expedia after its acquisition by IAC and spent a sabbatical in Florence.
- **2004** — Zillow incorporated in December; Barton and Lloyd Frink seed-funded the company.
- **2005** — Zillow team developed the business; Barton began his Benchmark venture-partner tenure.
- **2006** — Zillow website launched February 8 with Zestimates on about 40 million homes.
- **2007** — Co-founded Glassdoor with Robert Hohman and Tim Besse.
- **2010** — Became Zillow executive chairman as Spencer Rascoff took over as CEO.
- **2018** — Glassdoor acquired by Recruit Holdings in June; Barton’s chairmanship and Benchmark tenure ended that year.
- **2019** — Returned as Zillow CEO in February.
- **2021** — Zillow board decided in November to wind down Zillow Offers.
- **2022** — Began a five-year Stanford trustee term on February 1.
- **2024** — Became Zillow co-executive chairman on August 7 as Jeremy Wacksman became CEO.
- **2026** — Discussed AI strategy at Zillow’s AI Summit; announced Las Vegas residency in June.

## Achievements

- Founded Expedia inside Microsoft and led its 1999 public spin-off.
- Co-founded Zillow, which launched with estimates on approximately 40 million U.S. homes.
- Co-founded Glassdoor and served as non-executive chairman until its 2018 acquisition by Recruit Holdings.
- Elected to Stanford’s Board of Trustees for a term beginning February 2022.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Announced on X on June 5 that he had become a Las Vegas resident, citing an empty nest and a new chapter.
- **2026-04** — Zillow’s April 7 AI Summit report described Barton’s views on distinctive data, major transactions and integrated professional workflows.
- **2024-08** — Moved from Zillow CEO to co-executive chairman; Jeremy Wacksman became CEO.

## Links

- Website: https://www.hopperanddropper.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbarton
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Rich_Barton

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rich-barton
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15