Dara Khosrowshahi

I think my background, coming from Iran, which is a great country but is going through its share of troubles, really allows me to appreciate what we have here.

Desperation sometimes drives innovation.

I think I wanted to be a doctor. In Iran, the engineering and medical professions are worshipped. My father very much wanted me to be a doctor. I was certainly eager to please as a young man - as a kid, I should say.

One of the early lessons that I learned in leadership is that it's the leader's job to always go against the flow.

The American dream is you come here, you believe in democracy, you believe in the Constitution, you work hard, you can make it.

My father had to go back to Iran to take care of his father when I was 13 and was detained for six years before returning. My mom was raising three kids without a dad.

I love Expedia.

We sure didn't feel like refugees, but in hindsight, I guess we were - my father and mother left everything behind to come here - to be safe and give their boys a chance to rebuild a life.

It was a choice between a paint factory in Indianapolis - a management training program to maybe run the paint factory one day - or go to New York City and become an investment banker. It wasn't a very difficult decision.

What some Americans don't appreciate is how strong the brand of the American Dream is around the world. I'm an example of how powerful that product is.

Taking big risks combined with having a team you believe in and that believes just as much in you as a leader make for long-term wins, even in a game of inches.

When you let travelers vote with their clicks, and you put that at the center of your decision-making, you build the product they want, and ultimately, their business will follow.