Build A Billion Dollar Team

Paul English sold Kayak to Priceline in 2012 for $1.8 billion. Now he is back with Lola, a mobile app that combines AI with human travel agents to plan and book trips. At both companies, he says, the key to success is the people he hires.

- Ashlea Halpern

How did your hiring experiences at Kayak help you with Lola?  The most important thing I learned to do is focus on the team.When I interview people now, there are two things I look for. One is their GSD—“get shit done”—score. Do they have tech nical chops? The other 50 percent is: Are they an energy amplifier? Are they someone people enjoy being around? A lot of what I focused on at Kayak and what I’m focusing on even more so at Lola is playing the role of coach or organizational psychologist. I observe interactions,debug them, and make sure we’re set up for success.