From Vibe Coding to Exclusive LLM Deals: AI Takeaways From Agoda’s CEO

Key Points

• Agoda is focusing on improving AI-driven customer support and developing useful consumer-facing tools by 2026.
• The company is balancing top-down leadership and bottom-up input to foster innovation like 'vibe coding' and is working on integrating multiple specialized AI bots.
• CEO Omri Morgenshtern predicts a future decline in performance marketing due to AI, is open to advertising within LLMs, and highlights the importance of pricing accuracy for leisure travelers.

Summary

Agoda CEO Omri Morgenshtern discussed the company's ambitious AI goals for 2026, emphasizing the transition from gimmicky to genuinely useful consumer tools and enhanced customer support. He described the importance of combining management direction with engineers' insights—a process he called 'vibe coding'—to foster innovation. Agoda is developing several specialized AI bots and is willing to advertise on platforms like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Morgenshtern also anticipates a future decline in traditional performance marketing due to AI advancements and stressed that accurate pricing remains a key concern for leisure travelers.