Jeff Bezos and the Real Cost of the Washington Post

This week’s blockbuster revelations about the possible role of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince in the hacking of Jeff Bezos’ phone was a literal eye-popper of a story. It raised so many troubling questions about technology, politics and business. For me though, it was a moment for reflection on a tangential story: how differently the Amazon CEO’s purchase of the Washington Post has played out than many expected. 

In 2013, when Bezos announced he was buying the venerable newspaper, I was a reporter at the New York Times and co-wrote its story about the deal, which stunned newsrooms around the country, along with a lot of people in Washington, D.C.