Washington Post Lays Off Its Amazon Beat Reporter as Bezos Brings the Hammer Down
The Washington Post, the storied newspaper owned by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, just laid off hundreds of reporters. The paper is reportedly cutting 30% of its staff, including more than 300 of its roughly 800 journalists, according to The New York Times. The cuts essentially eliminated entire sections of the paper, including sports and books. The local and international desks are also being heavily hit. The New York Times and other outlets reported that the cuts were announced this morning by The Post’s Executive Editor Matt Murray during a call with newsroom employees.
“A more flexible, sustainable model will help us better navigate unprecedented volatility, competition, technological change, news-consumption habits, and cost pressure,” wrote Murray in a memo to staff shared with Gizmodo. “As you know, we have grappled with financial challenges for some time. They have affected us in multiple rounds of cost cuts and buyouts, along with periodic constraints on other kinds of spending.” Among the reporters affected is Caroline O’Donovan, the paper’s journalist responsible for covering Amazon.
“Today I was laid off from my job covering Amazon for Jeff Bezos’s Washington Post,” wrote O’Donovan in a post today on X. It’s worth noting Bezos is the fourth-wealthiest person in the world, with a net worth of $261 billion, according to Bloomberg.
“The Washington Post is taking a number of difficult but decisive actions today for our future, in what amounts to a significant restructuring across the company,” a Washington Post spokesperson told Gizmodo in an emailed statement. “These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering the distinctive journalism that sets The Post apart and, most importantly, engages our customers.” Bezos, the founder of the e-commerce giant Amazon, bought The Post in 2013 for $250 million. But in recent years, he has been cozying up to President Donald Trump, and that relationship has appeared to bleed, at least somewhat, into the paper’s operations.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, The Post decided not to endorse a candidate. That decision reportedly led the paper to lose roughly 250,000 subscribers. Bezos also announced early last year that the paper’s opinion section would focus on supporting and defending “personal liberties and free markets,” a narrow mission unlike most major editorial boards that was widely seen as a veiled attempt to limit criticism of Trump. By contrast, The New York Times, which issued a presidential endorsement as usual and continued its normal coverage of Trump, has seen continued growth. The Times reported today that it added 1.4 million digital subscribers in 2025.
Bezos’ business relations with Trump and his administration have continued beyond the election. A documentary on the life of First Lady Melania Trump premiered last week. Amazon MGM Studios reportedly paid about $40 million for the rights to the documentary and then spent another $35 million on marketing. The exorbitant spend on a documentary that ended up making $7 million in its first weekend after wall-to-wall exposure has been largely seen as a bribe that appeals to Trump’s vanity. And just this week, Bezos welcomed United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for a visit to the headquarters of his other company, Blue Origin. The rocket company’s future will depend on government contracts.
“Huge honor to have you at Blue Origin today. The whole team here was energized by your visit, and we’re excited to be doing our part to bring high-tech manufacturing back to America. Thank you!” Bezos wrote in post on X. So far, he has remained silent on cuts at The Post.
