Barry Diller is one of the longest-tenured figures in American media, having run Paramount and ABC's entertainment division before co-founding the Fox Broadcasting Company with Rupert Murdoch in the 1980s and later assembling the conglomerate now known as IAC.
Today Diller chairs IAC, which announced in 2026 that it is renaming itself People Incorporated to center its publishing arm (the former Dotdash Meredith, home to People, Investopedia, and dozens of other titles), and he chairs the online-travel company Expedia Group. In June 2026 IAC, which already held about a 26 percent stake in MGM Resorts, offered to acquire the rest of the casino operator in an all-cash bid valuing it near $18 billion.
Diller exercises control over these companies far in excess of his economic ownership through supervoting shares, a structure that concentrates decision-making over a large slice of the digital information Americans consume. In 2025 he published a candid memoir, 'Who Knew.'
What they control
- IAC / People Inc.: chairman, with voting control exceeding his economic stake
- Dotdash Meredith / People Inc. publishing: People, Better Homes & Gardens, Investopedia, and dozens of other digital titles
- Expedia Group: chairman of the online-travel company
- A roughly 26 percent stake in MGM Resorts International, with a 2026 bid to take it fully private
- A history of spinning off Match Group, Angi, and Vimeo from the IAC portfolio
Key institutions & holdings
Holding company renaming itself People Incorporated by mid-2026 to center its publishing business.
One of the world's largest online-travel companies.
IAC offered in June 2026 to buy the remainder at about $48.30 a share.
Key facts
- Co-founded the Fox Broadcasting Company with Rupert Murdoch and later built IAC.
- Chairman of both IAC and Expedia Group; net worth estimated around $5.3 billion in April 2026.
- IAC announced in April 2026 it would rename itself People Incorporated, with roughly 77 layoffs in a restructuring.
- In June 2026 IAC offered to acquire the rest of MGM Resorts, valuing it near $18 billion.
- Published his memoir 'Who Knew' through Simon & Schuster in May 2025.
- Exercises control over IAC and Expedia through supervoting stock that exceeds his economic ownership.
Timeline
- 1984Helps launch the Fox Broadcasting Company with Rupert Murdoch.
- 2020IAC spins off Match Group as an independent company.
- 2021Merges Dotdash with Meredith to form Dotdash Meredith.
- 2025-05Publishes his memoir 'Who Knew.'
- 2026-04IAC announces it will rename itself People Incorporated.
- 2026-06IAC bids to take MGM Resorts fully private.
Controversies
Supervoting control structure · ongoing
Diller has long controlled IAC and Expedia through dual-class shares that give him voting power well beyond his economic stake, concentrating authority over the companies' direction in one individual.
Publishing layoffs and the SEO shift · 2026
The 2026 rebranding to People Inc. came with about 77 layoffs as the digital-publishing business braced for declining search traffic in an AI-driven web.
Network
- Diane von FurstenbergSpouseFashion designer; married Diller in 2001.
- Rupert MurdochFormer partnerCo-founded the Fox Broadcasting Company with Diller.
- Neil VogelLieutenantChief executive of the People Inc. publishing business.
Why this matters
Through its publishing arm, Diller's company shapes a large share of the lifestyle, health, and personal-finance information Americans read online. Because supervoting shares vest control in one individual rather than the broad shareholder base, accountability for that narrative power and for major bets like the MGM takeover rests heavily with a single media veteran.