Job cuts in an industry that has struggled financially since the internet came into existence and killed its business model is hardly new, but last week’s brutal cull of hundreds of journalists at the Bezos-owned Washington Post marks a new low. In any case, his ownership of the Washington Post is yet more proof, if needed, that owning a newspaper is not about money; it’s about power and influence. Bezos, with his $266bn fortune, doesn’t need the money that a newspaper might bring in; his interest payouts make the Washington Post’s $100m annual losses look like a rounding error. The resulting lawsuit blamed “improper pressure from President Donald J Trump … to harm his perceived political enemy – Jeffrey P Bezos”. View image in fullscreen Supporters of the Washington Post attend a rally held by guild members outside its office building on 5 February 2026.

Source: Washington Post February 15, 2026 15:41 UTC