Senator Bernie Sanders sharply criticized Jeff Bezos over the Washington Post’s decision to lay off about one-third of its staff, highlighting the billionaire’s personal spending amid the cuts at the newspaper he owns.
If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff.
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 5, 2026
Democracy dies in oligarchy.
“If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don’t tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff. Democracy dies in oligarchy,” Sanders wrote in a post that quickly drew attention on social media.
NEW: Jeff Bezos, 61, and Lauren Sánchez, 55, officially get married, spending an estimated $50 million on the wedding.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 28, 2025
The wedding took place at San Giorgio Maggiore island in northern Italy.
An insider who spoke with Page Six says Sánchez was wearing jewelry which was worth in… pic.twitter.com/fP6Rx7VSDT
The layoffs, announced on February 4, 2026, represent one of the most significant reductions in the history of the storied newspaper. The Washington Post eliminated roughly 30 percent of its entire workforce, affecting hundreds of employees across the newsroom and business operations. More than 300 journalists from a newsroom of about 800 were let go as part of the sweeping changes.
The cuts hit several key areas hard. The newspaper shuttered its sports department in its current form, with remaining coverage shifted to treat sports as a broader cultural and societal topic. The books section was eliminated entirely, along with the flagship daily podcast “Post Reports.” International coverage was scaled back substantially, reducing foreign bureaus and desks from more than 20 locations to around 12. The Metro desk, which handles local Washington-area news, was reduced to a much smaller team of about 12 staffers from previous levels.
Executive Editor Matt Murray described the moves in an internal communication as a “broad strategic reset” aimed at focusing on areas of authority, distinctiveness, and impact, particularly politics and national security. The changes come after the newspaper has faced ongoing financial pressures, including subscriber losses and mounting losses in recent years. Previous rounds of voluntary buyouts in 2023 and 2025 had already reduced the newsroom size significantly from over 1,000 staffers.
Bezos, who acquired the Washington Post in 2013, has pushed management to achieve profitability amid a challenging media landscape where digital revenue has not fully offset declines in traditional sources. He has remained silent publicly on the latest layoffs, with no immediate comment from him following the announcement. The publisher and other top executives handled the communication to staff via a Zoom meeting and follow-up emails.
The timing of the layoffs coincides with broader industry struggles, but the scale at the Washington Post underscores the difficulties even well-resourced outlets face in adapting to economic realities. Sanders’ pointed critique frames the decision within larger questions about wealth concentration and its influence on media institutions, especially given Bezos’s vast personal fortune derived from Amazon and other ventures. The post ties the cuts to perceptions of priorities among the ultra-wealthy, amplifying a debate that has resonated amid the newspaper’s transformation.
