Bezos Faces Tough Questions as Washington Post Shrinks

The newspaper's owner must find a way to innovate and grow the business in the face of declining readership and revenue.

Published on Feb. 8, 2026

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Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post, is facing tough questions about the future of the nearly 150-year-old newspaper as it continues to shrink. Despite Bezos' success in building Amazon into an e-commerce and cloud computing juggernaut, the Post has not seen the same kind of transformative innovation during his 13-year ownership. The paper recently underwent major layoffs, cutting 30% of its newsroom staff, and has shrunk by 50% since 2023. Bezos must now find a way to reinvent the Post and return it to growth, drawing on the same customer-centric and long-term thinking that defined his approach at Amazon.

Why it matters

The Washington Post is a storied institution that has played a vital role in American journalism for decades. Its decline under Bezos' ownership raises questions about the future of high-quality, independent journalism and whether tech billionaires can effectively manage and transform traditional media companies.

The details

The recent layoffs at the Post included shutting down entire sections of the paper, such as the Books section, and deep cuts to the Metro team. The paper also lost its entire team of Middle East reporters and its Ukraine correspondent, as well as the reporter covering Amazon. In a memo to staff, Post executive editor Matt Murray cited the decline of organic search traffic as a key factor behind the cuts. Despite Bezos' success at Amazon in anticipating the decline of dominant platforms and building new businesses to replace them, the Post has yet to see a similar transformation under his ownership.

  • Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million.
  • In 2023, the Post newsroom had more than 1,000 employees.
  • As of February 2026, the Post newsroom has shrunk to around 500 employees.

The players

Jeff Bezos

The billionaire owner of The Washington Post and the founder and former CEO of Amazon.

Matt Murray

The executive editor of The Washington Post.

Will Lewis

The former publisher of The Washington Post, who recently exited the role.

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What they’re saying

“I don't think you can keep shrinking the business. You can be profitable and shrinking. And that's a survival strategy, but it ultimately leads to irrelevance, at best. And, at worst, it leads to extinction.”

— Jeff Bezos (The Washington Post)

“The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus.”

— Jeff Bezos (Forbes)

What’s next

Bezos must develop a clear long-term vision and strategy for transforming The Washington Post, drawing on the same customer-centric and innovative approach that made Amazon a success.

The takeaway

The struggles of The Washington Post under Bezos' ownership highlight the challenges tech billionaires face in effectively managing and revitalizing traditional media companies. Bezos must find a way to innovate and grow the Post, or risk the iconic newspaper becoming irrelevant.