Navigate Select ESC Close

Why Jeff Bezos No Longer Defends the Washington Post (w/ Marty Baron) | The Bulwark Podcast

2026-02-05 News & Politics
76.6k
3.6k
375
The Bulwark
The Bulwark
1.7m subscribers

Unlock all features

FREE: Get instant access to 10 AI summaries, chats, or transcripts per day.

Description

The massive layoffs at Jeff Bezos's Washington Post involve more than just the financial situation at the paper. The Amazon founder's real priority is keeping Donald Trump happy so the money keeps flowing from his lucrative government contracts. And the man worth $260 billion will do what it takes, even if that means hollowing out a great news organization and potentially turning it into a MAGA-friendly outlet. Maybe having the economy so dependent on government contracts—with an erratic, megalomaniac at the top of the food chain—is not such a good idea. The former executive editor at The Post says Bezos should turn the paper into a nonprofit. Plus, the origin story of "Democracy Dies in Darkness," and the profiteering and corruption in the administration is not getting the press attention it deserves. Marty Baron joins Tim Miller. Show Notes: Marty's book, "Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and The Washington Post": https://bookshop.org/p/books/collision-of-power-trump-bezos-and-the-washington-post-martin-baron/390dc632586fc65f Tickets on sale Friday for our live shows in Dallas and Austin in March and our second Minnesota show is selling out. Go to: TheBulwark.com/Events Visit www.functionhealth.com/THEBULWARK and use gift code THEBULWARK25 for a $25 credit toward your membership. Become a Bulwark Youtube Plus Member here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG4Hp1KbGw4e02N7FpPXDgQ/join

Top Comments (10)

@pamelamccall5653 2026-02-05

Can we recover from all this billionaire bullshit??? There is no satisfying them!!

208 12 replies
@lajohnson1967 2026-02-05

Democracy doesn’t die in darkness. It dies from complacency.

196 14 replies
@joelwhigham4170 2026-02-05

The big beautiful bill was a bribe for the billionaires.

127 5 replies
@maryball1022 2026-02-05

The Post was always my favorite paper. I canceled my subscription yesterday.

105 6 replies
@SusanOgden-m9c 2026-02-06

I lived in Washington during Watergate. My housemates and I would wait for the paper to be delivered at 5:30 in the morning. It saved democracy and brought down a corrupt president when both parties agreed the republic was more important than individual whims or malevolence. This is truly the end of an era.

98 6 replies
@rdlewis3616 2026-02-05

The richer they get the cheaper and more hard hearted they become.

98 2 replies
@serendipityl6046 2026-02-05

The Elites do not care about anyone but themselves and their bottom line. As soon as we get that, we can adjust our behavior to fight against it.

73 1 replies
@worldrights2 2026-02-05

Baron was a delight. He's legendary for a reason. And his advice on turning the Post into a non-profit endowed with a billion dollars and steered by a truly independent board of directors as a way to revitalize the paper's profitability sounds about right. Do that and I'd renew my subscription. Good piece, Bulwark.

68 2 replies
@TimC887 2026-02-05

My wife just cancelled our Amazon Prime account and demanded a refund, which she got. Eff Bezos and the other oligarchs.

59 8 replies
@AstroJuleOfTheTarot 2026-02-05

I remember Bezos a fresh-faced young man selling books. Now he’s selling out.

48 1 replies

Unlock the Data Inside
Turn Videos into Knowledge

  • Get FREE 10/day: transcripts, summaries, chats
  • Chat with videos, export text & PDF
  • $1 free API credit for RAG, chatbots & research

Free forever plan • All features unlocked

App screenshot