Jeff Bezos has allegedly destroyed The Washington Post with more layoffs

In the American in the media world, the number one news of the past week has been the nearly 150-year-old newspaper The Washington Post historically large layoffs.

On Wednesday, more than 300 journalists were dismissed from the newspaper’s staff, which means 30 percent of the entire staff. Among other things, the magazine is discontinuing its current form of sports editorial, significantly cutting back on its local and international editorial and discontinuing its literature section and its popular Post Reports news podcast.

Rumors of impending layoffs had circulated around the Washington Post for weeks, which is why the newspaper’s editors had begun publishing the owner Jeff Bezosille targeted videosasking Bezos to “save the Washington Post.”

These the redundancies came to the editorial office on Wednesday morning. The entire administration was instructed to participate in a Zoom meeting where the layoffs were announced. The announcement was made by the editor-in-chief Matt Murray. The magazine’s publisher, who has already collected a lot of criticism within the editorial department Will Lewis did not attend the event.

After the meeting, the employees received an email telling them whether they had been fired or not. After the dismissals, the magazine’s editors showed their opinion outside of delivery.

The Washington Post’s dismissals have been harshly criticized in the American media, and the magazine’s former managers have commented with concern about the future of one of the most prominent and legendary newspapers in the United States, known for its scoops.

On Saturday, Lewis unexpectedly announced that he was leaving his position as the magazine’s publisher. The New York Timesin according to Lewis said that he was resigning “to guarantee a sustainable future for Posti”. In his email to the magazine’s editors, Lewis only thanked the owner Bezos and said that the magazine could not have a better owner.

In the press release announcing Lewis’ departure, Bezos emphasized the newspaper’s “vital journalistic mission” and “extraordinary opportunities”. Lewis will be replaced by the magazine’s financial director as temporary publisher Jeff D’Onofrio.

In the American media The Washington Post’s situation has been treated in a very wordy way. Supplier Hanna Rosin wrote The Atlantic -lehteen a long article titled “How Jeff Bezos Broke The Washington Post.” The New Yorker published by the editor Ruth Marcusin the story is titled “How Jeff Bezos Destroyed The Washington Post”. Supplier Alex Kirshnerin writing In Slate’s story states bluntly that “Jeff Bezos killed The Washington Post”.

Rosin and Marcus are former Washington Post reporters. Slate is owned and managed by Graham Holdings Don Graham. Graham sold the Washington Post to Bezos for $250 million in 2013.

The New Yorker story says that former owner Graham has not previously commented on the Washington Post’s situation, but on Wednesday he had published a Facebook post.

“This is a bad day,” Graham wrote New Yorkerin along and stated that he was worried for the employees.

Also worked as the magazine’s editor-in-chief in 2012–2021 Martin Baron announced to the public that Wednesday was “one of the darkest days at one of the best news organizations in history”.

World the second richest person, Bezos, who is known as the founder of the Amazon company, among other things, has had a multi-phase era as the owner of the Washington Post.

When Bezos bought the magazine in 2013, he promised a “new golden age” for the publication. He was praised, especially in the first years, for his large investments in the magazine. Particularly Donald Trump’s during the first presidential term, the number of subscribers increased significantly.

In recent years, the Washington Post has made big losses: $77 million in 2023 and $100 million in 2024.

Bezos brought in Will Lewis in 2024 as the new publisher to improve the Washington Post’s financial situation. Lewis quickly came under severe criticism within the magazine and drifted into disagreements with the magazine’s editor-in-chief Sally Buzbeen with from the journalistic line. Buzbee left The Washington Post in 2024.

In the fall of 2024, Bezos decided that the Washington Post would not endorse his editorial Terrible Harris to be the next president of the United States. According to newspaper reports, the decision led to the cancellation of approximately 250,000 orders. According to sources, there were two and a half million subscribers before this.

In Trump’s second term, Bezos has become significantly closer to Trump. In 2025, he announced that the magazine’s opinion pieces will focus on texts in favor of individual freedoms and a free market economy.

The timing of the decisions has also been brought up in criticism of the new layoffs: Amazon MGM Studios was reported to have spent 75 million dollars About Melania Trump telling Melania– to the rights and marketing of the film. The film premiered last week.

Bezos has not expressed any intention to sell the Washington Post, and for example an article in The New Yorker states that it would not automatically guarantee a brighter future in a situation where the media industry is in the middle of many crises.

In an interview with CNN editor-in-chief Matt Murray assured Bezos that he was committed to developing the Washington Post.

“He wants the Post Office to be a bigger, more relevant and thriving institution,” Murray told CNN.