‘Painful wait’: Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post visit fuels layoff fears

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos paid a rare visit to the paper’s office and attended an editorial meeting on Thursday, prompting panic among the newspaper’s journalists about imminent layoffs.

Bezos surprised employees Thursday morning when he showed up at the paper’s headquarters on Kay Street in the nation’s capital just weeks after publisher Fred Ryan announced the layoffs during a tumultuous, chaotic general meeting.

The Amazon founder’s presence in the newsroom prompted one employee wearing a red newspaper guild shirt to approach the billionaire and ask him directly why management plans to lay off people rather than offer a buyout. multiple reports.

According to the news site, Bezos declined to discuss the matter, only saying he was here to listen.

“I am convinced that this will be a long and painful wait for many people,” writes the Washington Post. told the journalist of the Daily Beast.

According to the publication, Bezos’s refusal to comment on Ryan’s announcement that the layoffs are scheduled for the first quarter of this year further added to the alarm in the newsroom.

“[People] I don’t know what to do with it,” a Washington Post journalist told the news site.

According to The Daily Beast, Bezos’ visit was meant to reassure employees that he appreciates their contributions to the newsroom. During the meeting, which was attended by both personal collaborators and those calling via Zoom, he was reportedly seated next to worried executive editor Sally Busby.

“I’m glad to be here and see all these faces,” Bezos said during the meeting. “Thank you for letting me listen.”

Publisher Ryan was also present, although he did not speak. The meeting featured the traditional news brief presented by the newspaper’s editors.

In Bezos’ presence, the editors discussed writing an article about Amazon’s decision to shut down Bezos’ own charitable program, AmazonSmile, according to The New York Times.

Washington Post editors also broke the news about ongoing discussions surrounding the sale of the Washington Commanders to the NFL, a team that Bezos has reportedly had his eye on.

The New York Post has reached out to The Washington Post for comment.

A spokesman for the paper told The Daily Beast on Thursday: “Jeff will visit The Post this week and meet with Fred Ryan, Sally Busby and other staff.”

The Washington Post did not say when it would carry out the layoffs, nor did it specify the extent of the layoffs.

Ryan reportedly discussed laying off up to 100 newsroom employees either by suspending hiring for open positions or by firing when a company refuses to fill a position after it is vacated by a departing employee.

According to The Daily Beast, the guild members were notified the day before Bezos arrived.

While waiting for the billionaire owner to show up, some union members donned red shirts with logos. Others who weren’t in the office waved the guild’s insignia as their Zoom badges as they called into an editorial meeting that Bezos attended.

“We want him to see that the postal staff is a powerful and united front,” the guild leadership wrote in an email to 675 dues paying members. The email was received by The Daily Beast.

“This is a testament to the strength of our solidarity and the power of our organization – and it should serve as a reminder to Bezos that employees should have a say in shaping the future of this newspaper.”

The Guild released a statement saying: “We hope that Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos has heard calls from employees to end these pending layoffs, which, as far as we can tell, are not financially necessary or based on any sound business strategy from publisher Fred. Ryan.”

Since Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million, the paper has made a profit every year.

But the subscription boom the paper enjoyed during the Trump years faded, with revenue dropping in 2021, according to The New York Times.