According to the founders’ account, Kiwi.com began as Skypicker after a conversation between Jozef Képeši and Oliver Dlouhý in a pub in Brno. The company built its business around searching and combining low‑cost flight options and has expanded considerably since those early days.
In a Forbes.hu interview conducted in Kiwi.com’s Barcelona office, Oliver Dlouhý spoke openly about the company’s growth, organizational changes and the external shocks that influenced its operations.
Growth, peak headcount and professionalization
Kiwi.com reached its headcount peak around 2019, employing roughly 1,500–1,600 people. At that time the company started recruiting professional managers and its operations became significantly more structured.
Over the past years the organization underwent structural change: the team was materially reduced and the company in some respects returned to its core focus. The official headcount is now just over 400.
Layoffs and personal compensation during COVID
Dlouhý acknowledged the substantial staff cuts. He also said that during the COVID period he made compensation payments from his own pocket, illustrating that crisis‑era decisions sometimes diverged from standard commercial logic.
Revenue growth with fewer people
Despite the workforce shrinking to roughly a quarter of its earlier size, the company’s revenues are growing—Dlouhý stated revenues are increasing by about 30% this year. He attributes this to efficiency gains and technological improvements. Artificial intelligence is one of the drivers that made higher revenues possible with fewer employees.
AI as opportunity and moat
Dlouhý noted that tasks which once required proprietary, cutting‑edge development—algorithms, data‑collection mechanisms and similar systems—can now often be addressed with AI tools. Still, he argued that Kiwi’s underlying technology, accumulated data and integrated solutions are not easily replicated; that combination provides a competitive edge.
External risks: geopolitics, fuel prices and protests
The company is also affected by non‑technical factors. Dlouhý pointed to geopolitical events (including tensions involving Iran), fluctuations in fuel prices and waves of protests in Western Europe as influences on booking patterns. These elements can change travel demand and operational conditions.
Negotiations with low‑cost carriers and the business model
The interview touched on the company’s commercial negotiations with major low‑cost carriers, including Wizz Air and Ryanair. Dlouhý described the logic behind those discussions and their importance for expanding Kiwi.com’s traffic and services.
What’s next: preserving the technological lead
Leadership at Kiwi.com is balancing efficiency efforts with continued technology investment. AI is reshaping organizational needs and workflows, but the company believes that its accumulated know‑how and data assets, if used wisely, can sustain a durable competitive advantage.
Overall, the interview sketches Kiwi.com’s path from a pub idea to a substantial international business: rapid expansion followed by consolidation, with external crises and new technologies continuously reshaping how the company operates.
