Veteran tech reporter Kara Swisher is aiming to put together a team of investors to purchase the Washington Post, TheWrap has learned. Axios was the first outlet to report the news.
Swisher’s belief is that a deal would be a win-win, allowing WaPo owner Jeff Bezos to focus more on his tech and space ventures.
“The Post can do better,” she told Axios. “It’s so maddening to see what’s happening… why not me? Why not any of us?
The biggest hurdle to Swisher or anyone else buying the paper is that Bezos has not given any indication he wants to sell it. (The Amazon founder bought WaPo for $250 million in 2013.) Swisher, Axios said, is “confident” the money is there if Bezos ultimately feels like making a deal.
She added that any big-money backers would “hopefully not” include Elon Musk, “though he seems pretty busy these days being President (Not) Elect.”
Her push to acquire the Post comes after Bezos recently said he was “very proud” of the paper not endorsing a presidential candidate in the 2024 election. Heading into this election, the Washington Post had endorsed every Democratic candidate since 1988.
For the unfamiliar, Swisher is one of the best-known — and busiest — tech reporters in the world. She currently co-hosts the “Pivot” podcast with NYU Professor Scott Galloway, as well as her “On with Kara Swisher” podcast, and is an editor-at-large for New York Magazine. Swisher also has ties to WaPo; she started in the paper’s mailroom, and later moved up to becoming a tech reporter for the outlet.
