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Bezos Slams Post, Cuts Staff, Names CFO CEO

6/18/2026

23 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Bezos Overhauls Post

Jeff Bezos told President Donald Trump at a December 2024 dinner the Post was his worst investment and called its staff terrible.
After a $100 million loss in 2024, he ordered the opinion section to champion liberties and markets.
In February 2026 he cut one-third of staff, eliminated the sports desk, removed publisher Will Lewis, saw David Shipley quit, and named CFO Jeff D’Onofrio interim CEO to pursue new revenue deals.

Summary

Bezos Claims Friends

The book *Regime Change* (June 23) reports that Jeff Bezos told President Donald Trump he had lost half his friends.
The authors note that Bezos said close advisers urged him to sell, not that he lost friends.
Bezos previously lost $175 million on LivingSocial and $50 million on Pets.com.
Blue Origin, his SpaceX rival, recently made news with a spectacular filmed explosion.

History

Historical Context

Pets.com, launched in 1998 and backed by Amazon, epitomized the 1999-2000 dot-com bubble. Its $1.2 million Super Bowl ad and $82.5 million IPO in February 2000 raised huge capital, yet the stock fell from $11 to $0.19 by November 2000, mirroring the collapse of peers such as Boo.com and the broader market crash, and the rapid loss of investor confidence.

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Bezos Overhauls Post

Jeff Bezos told President Donald Trump at a December 2024 dinner the Post was his worst investment and called its staff terrible.
After a $100 million loss in 2024, he ordered the opinion section to champion liberties and markets.
In February 2026 he cut one-third of staff, eliminated the sports desk, removed publisher Will Lewis, saw David Shipley quit, and named CFO Jeff D’Onofrio interim CEO to pursue new revenue deals.

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