Diller, Barry 1942–

International Directory of Business Biographies, (2005) by William Atkins

In 2003 Diller bought LendingTree, a top online mortgage intermediary. With Internet mortgage companies possessing only 5–7 percent of the total consumer lending market and with LendingTree having less than 1 percent of that market, Diller expected to grab more market share with his new acquisition by using the company's cost-effective strategy to attract potential consumers and to present them with a variety of qualified lenders from which to choose their final loan. Diller used his tried-and-true techniques at Expedia.com and Hotel.com to expand LendingTree. He discovered that LendingTree actually rejected many lenders that applied for admission because the demand was so high and its screening requirements so strict. Diller expected a 70-percent annual earnings growth rate at least until 2007.

QUINTESSENTIAL BUSINESSMAN

As CEO of InterActiveCorp, Diller continued to work to maintain the company's low-debt-to-high-cash ratio and continued to acquire functioning companies with sound business plans that were already on or ready to move onto the Internet. Diller's goal for the business was for it to become the world's largest and most profitable interactive commerce company by pursuing a multibrand growth strategy through its operating businesses. With a 2002 market value of around $12.5 billion, InterActiveCorp was a distant second to Ebay's $22 billion but above the figures for Yahoo! and Amazon, at $10 billion and $8 billion, respectively. In the early 2000s Diller commanded 26,000 employees in 26 nations around the world.

Even though he possessed a soft-spoken voice and kindly physical features, Diller earned a reputation as a tough negotiator and an imposing, highly motivated presence. He parlayed his perfectionist nature, abrasive temper, and often emotionally abusive personality into a business empire.