More Buyouts On The Table At WaPo

Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post is undergoing a significant restructuring, offering voluntary buyout packages to dozens of staffers as part of efforts to adapt to changing industry dynamics. 

The buyouts target opinion writers, employees with at least 10 years of experience, and entire departments, including the video desk, copy desk, and sports copy desk, according to a memo from executive editor Matt Murray obtained by The Daily Beast. 

Murray cited the need to adapt to “changing habits and new technologies” and to increase “staffing flexibility” in areas like audience data and social video. 

Jeff Bezos

Staffers have until July 31, 2025, to decide on the buyouts, with no specific reduction target set by the paper. The restructuring also includes combining all editing operations into a single desk.

The opinion section, in particular, is navigating a shift following Bezos’ February 2025 announcement to focus on “personal liberties and free markets,” which led to the resignation of opinion editor David Shipley. 

Deputy opinion editor Mary Duenwald noted in a memo that the buyouts are intended to allow staff to make a “clear-eyed decision” about aligning with this new direction, with a new opinion editor expected to be named before the buyout deadline. 

The paper has faced significant turmoil, including the loss of 250,000 subscribers (10% of its base) after Bezos blocked a planned Kamala Harris endorsement in October 2024, and a reported $100 million loss in 2024. These buyouts follow earlier staff reductions, including a 4% cut on the business side in January 2025, and reflect ongoing financial and editorial challenges under Bezos’ ownership and publisher Will Lewis’ leadership.