How Jeff Bezos Upended The Washington Post

The billionaire newspaper owner, dissatisfied by years of losses, wants the newsroom to double productivity with half its budget.

Jeff Bezos called Matt Murray, the executive editor of The Washington Post, in late November to send an urgent message: Please do not quit.

Mr. Murray had known for weeks that Mr. Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon and owner of The Post, was planning widespread layoffs to stem over $100 million in annual losses. But Mr. Murray felt sidelined in the preparations and had recently told the company’s chief executive, Will Lewis, that he was leaving the paper, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.

Mr. Bezos told Mr. Murray that he wanted him to help shape a newsroom that would be financially sustainable far into the future, the two people said. And Mr. Bezos pitched his strategy: Reduce the newsroom’s budget by half and double the productivity of those who remained, all while protecting some core parts of The Post’s coverage, like investigative journalism. Mr. Murray said he would take on that challenge.

In a single call, Mr. Bezos had set a new course for The Post and upended the power balance between his top news editor, Mr. Murray, and his top business executive, Mr. Lewis.