Report: Washington Post bleeds over $100M in 2025, forcing widespread layoffs

The Washington Post lost more than $100 million in 2025, showing very big financial trouble, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The paper had already lost $77 million in 2023 and around $100 million in 2024, and the losses kept increasing. Because of these huge losses, mass layoffs happened earlier this month, and about 30% of employees lost their jobs.

The newspaper is owned by Jeff Bezos, and even with many staff members, the company was still losing money. Like many old newspapers, WaPo is struggling because website traffic is falling and people now get news in different ways, as noted by NY Post. A spokesperson from the paper said the layoffs were meant to make the company stronger and focus on unique journalism.

Big money loss problem

The company refused to share exact revenue numbers when asked. Acting CEO Jeff D’Onofrio took charge after Will Lewis stepped down suddenly just days after the layoffs. D’Onofrio and executive editor Matt Murray told staff the company had years of overspending and falling productivity, according to WSJ. The executives said expenses were higher than revenue from 2022 to 2025 because the company had hired many employees earlier.


The number of stories published by the paper fell 42% from 2020, even though newsroom costs were 16% higher in 2025. More than 300 journalists were affected in the layoffs, and Murray said it was a very painful time, as noted by WSJ. Murray also said the paper should not try to cover every breaking story but focus on unique and must-read journalism. D’Onofrio said he is working on a long-term plan to fix the company, but it will take time.

Staff anger and layoffs

The layoffs hit local, metro, international teams, and the entire sports desk, even after staff asked Bezos to stop cuts. Many employees are upset with Bezos after the paper cancelled an endorsement of Kamala Harris in 2024. That decision caused many readers to cancel subscriptions, which hurt the paper’s finances.

Bezos later announced a new opinion strategy focusing on free markets and personal freedoms after Donald Trump’s re-election. Because of this shift, opinion editor David Shipley and several columnists left the newspaper. The company had offered buyouts to staff in mid-2025, but the recent layoffs show stronger cost-cutting has started, as cited by NY Post report. The problems at WaPo reflect a bigger crisis, as CBS News and New York Daily News also recently cut jobs. The Washington Post is losing huge money, cutting many jobs, facing staff anger, and trying to change its strategy to survive in the modern news world.

FAQs

Q1. Why is The Washington Post losing money in 2025?

The Washington Post is losing money because of falling website traffic, lower subscriptions, high newsroom costs, and big spending in past years, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Q2. How many employees were laid off at The Washington Post?

About 30% of staff, including more than 300 journalists, were laid off due to heavy financial losses, according to reports.