Conflict of Disinterest

Last month, just ahead of the devastating layoffs at The Washington Post, a group of wealthy D.C. locals approached Post publisher and chief executive Will Lewis with a proposal: Would the Jeff Bezos–owned paper consider spinning off its local and sports sections and selling to them? Perhaps some type of deal could have been worked out where the property was jointly branded and operated, such as when CNN partnered with Fortune and Money magazines on CNNMoney.

The interest was there, but the group never received a response, Status has learned. A spokesperson for The Post did not comment, but Bezos has repeatedly ignored interest from would-be buyers while the newspaper disintegrates under his watch. Most notably, as Status first reported in 2024, Kara Swisher expressed serious interest in leading a group of investors to purchase the paper as it continues to make deep cuts to its newsroom under the oversight of Lewis and Bezos.

The sweeping cuts this week that axed crucial reporting teams on the foreign, local and sports desks, eliminated all staff photographers and most of the video team, raised the prospect that The Post is on the brink of a death spiral as subscribers flee and advertisers walk away under Bezos’ ownership.

To be sure, Bezos' own actions have led to the destruction of the great civic institution that once brought down a sitting U.S. president, exposed covert NSA surveillance programs, and revealed Donald Trump's assault on democracy that led to the January 6 attack—earning dozens of Pulitzer Prizes along the way. But in recent years, the paper's very survival has been stymied by Bezos' clear conflicts of interest, and general disinterest, as an owner.

His hand-picked publisher, Lewis, who was brought in more than two years ago with a mandate of "growing The Post's business and advancing its impact to the next generation and beyond." But the former Rupert Murdoch lieutenant has never articulated or executed on a clear vision for the paper. And the few announcements he has made, like the notorious and briefly lived "third newsroom” concept, have ended in disaster, wasting precious time as the industry quickly evolves and audiences move on.

When the layoffs hit on Wednesday, Lewis was nowhere to be found. Multiple Post journalists told Status that he was “MIA” during the bloodletting, with one calling him “a coward” and another noting that executives “who have not brought in money-making ideas are spared and the reporters take the blame.” Whatever early goodwill Lewis once had inside the K Street building is gone.

Of course, Bezos can easily afford any near-term losses at The Post. With a net worth of $250 billion—far more than the $25 billion he was worth when he purchased The Post for $250 million in 2013—he could invest in the newsroom and its suite of offerings to ensure not only the paper's survival but its long-term relevance and independence.

As if to offer a case in point of how it can be done, on the same morning Post staffers were told their jobs had been eliminated, The New York Times and Bloomberg, both controlled by wealthy families, reported strong audience and revenue growth. The Times reported it added 1.4 million digital subscribers in 2025 and was on track to reach its goal of 15 million by the end of next year. Bloomberg, meanwhile, reported it had surpassed 700,000 subscribers with audience growth on linear, digital, streaming, audio, and newsletter platforms.

But The Post under Bezos' ownership has suffered tremendously after the billionaire meddled with the paper—most notably his last-minute decision to kill an endorsement of Kamala Harris—just as Trump was set to return to office, sending hundreds of thousands of subscribers fleeing and high-profile talent to the exits. The moves laid bare the stark business conflicts that undermine Bezos' decision-making. With his ownership of the rocket company Blue Origin that relies on U.S. government approvals and Amazon, which generates billions in annual revenue from government services via its AWS cloud services. Bezos’ sprawling business footprint leaves him vulnerable to pressure from a hostile administration obsessed with attacking journalists and news outlets in its relentless assault on the truth.

And while staffers at The Post outright begged last week for the-once engaged owner to intervene as the paper continues to drown under Lewis' reign, he has ignored their pleas, instead vacationing on his superyacht or hobnobbing at elite fashion shows with Lauren Sanchez in Paris.

"Still baffled: why would a disinterested, disengaged, distracted Washington Post owner hire a seemingly disinterested, disengaged, distracted CEO, suffer perpetual criticism and $ loss?" Axios co-founder and chief executive Jim VandeHei wrote as the layoffs reverberated across the news industry. "Lots of rich people would buy it, and even more execs would gladly run it.  Show me a single entity anywhere at anytime doing anything that worked without strong, engaged leadership.  Kinda matters... Just sell it."

Marty Baron, the former top editor at The Post said subscribers and journalists were "driven away" by the billionaire's changes to the publication. "Bezos’s sickening efforts to curry favor with President Trump have left an especially ugly stain of their own," he said in a statement. "This is a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction."

While Swisher, herself a former Post staffer, publicly expressed interest in buying the paper and installing new leadership, others have suggested that Bezos donate The Post to a charitable trust—similar to The Philadelphia Inquirer, which recently reported its first year-over-year revenue growth in more than two decades and a return to profitability.

“It’s important for the Post not just to survive, but to grow,” Bezos said in 2013 when explaining his purchase of the paper. “The product of the Post is still great. The piece that’s missing is that it’s a challenged business. No business can continue to shrink. That can only go on for so long before irrelevancy sets in.”

More than a decade later, Bezos' involvement in the paper, with his glaring conflicts and lack of interest, has transformed from an asset to a liability, choking away the lifeblood of the business. If Bezos really believes in the mission of the newspaper, it’s time for him to end his ownership of The Post.