Bezos Destroys Washington Post With Layoffs and Trump Flattery, Loses 300,000 Subscribers
Amazon founder spent $40M on Melania documentary while firing 300 journalists, with nothing to show for his capitulation
The scale of destruction at The Washington Post is difficult to overstate. Three hundred journalists have lost their jobs, roughly a quarter of the newsroom. More than 300,000 subscribers have canceled, representing a devastating revenue collapse. And the paper's editorial independence—once symbolized by its Watergate coverage—has been effectively surrendered.
Bezos, who purchased the Post in 2013 for $250 million, has spent the past year systematically alienating readers through a series of pro-Trump gestures. Amazon MGM Studios committed $40 million to produce a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, which premiered just days before the newsroom layoff notices went out.
The cruelest irony, critics note, is that Bezos's capitulation has produced no discernible benefits. Amazon continues to face federal antitrust scrutiny. Trump continues to attack the company publicly. The billions Bezos hoped to protect through his prostration remain as vulnerable as ever.
"There isn't even a cynical explanation for Jeff Bezos destroying The Washington Post," one media analyst observed. The layoffs cannot be justified by business necessity when they coincide with extravagant spending on content designed to please the White House.
Analysis
Why This Matters
The Post's collapse represents more than one newspaper's decline—it demonstrates how billionaire ownership can destroy journalistic institutions when personal business interests conflict with editorial independence.
Background
Bezos initially seemed a benevolent owner, investing heavily in the Post and presiding over a digital renaissance that made it competitive with The New York Times. The relationship soured after Trump began attacking Amazon over its Postal Service contracts and tax arrangements.
Key Perspectives
Remaining Post journalists face an impossible situation: continue producing journalism under an owner openly hostile to their independence, or leave for publications with more secure foundations. Former staffers describe a newsroom demoralized beyond recognition.
What to Watch
Whether the subscriber exodus accelerates, potentially forcing a sale. The New York Times, which has absorbed many fleeing Post subscribers, may emerge as an even more dominant force in American journalism.