PivotKara Swisher Explains Plan to Buy The Washington Post | Pivot
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Kara Swisher Plots Transparent, Public Bid to Transform Washington Post
- Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway debate Swisher’s very real effort to assemble a group to buy The Washington Post from Jeff Bezos, despite no indication yet that Bezos wants to sell.
- Galloway argues serious bids are done quietly, via trusts that insulate owners from newsroom politics, while Swisher insists on a radically transparent, public approach that challenges backroom, male-dominated dealmaking.
- Swisher outlines a vision of opening up the Post’s operations, turning its financial and editorial struggles into a public narrative—possibly even a docu-series—while preserving it as a critical democratic institution alongside outlets like The New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
- The conversation also touches on newsroom culture, billionaire ownership, governance structures, and Swisher’s emotional and professional connection to the Post as she frames this bid as both an intellectual puzzle and a quasi-noble mission.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasAny credible bid must address Bezos directly and offer him protection.
Galloway stresses that a serious acquisition would start with quiet, direct talks with Jeff Bezos, proposing structures (like trusts or shared ownership) that reduce his political grief and give him plausible deniability.
Swisher believes radical transparency can be a strategic advantage in media ownership.
She argues for broadcasting internal meetings, openly sharing losses and decisions, and making the Post’s reinvention a public narrative, breaking from the opaque, elite-driven tradition of media deals.
Legacy news outlets may be better held in trusts than as pure businesses.
Galloway suggests institutions like the Post and New York Times should be owned by mission-driven trusts that hire leadership and then “stay out of it,” reflecting their public-good role over profit maximization.
There is growing concern about concentration of serious national journalism.
Swisher emphasizes that it’s dangerous if The New York Times effectively stands alone, with uncertainty around the Wall Street Journal’s future and instability at other major outlets, making the Post’s health strategically important.
New storytelling formats could help revive interest in newsroom institutions.
Swisher floats ideas like an HBO-style series that follows a season in the life of the Post, akin to “Drive to Survive,” using narrative storytelling to reengage broader audiences with the drama and stakes of journalism.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesAt the end of the day, these are institutions that should be owned by trusts and they should have a trust that basically hires the right guy or gal to run the thing and they just stay the fuck out of it.
— Scott Galloway
I am so sick of these quiet little deals that largely white men make with others. So I’m doing it a different way.
— Kara Swisher
If I ran this thing, everything would be transparent. I’d broadcast the fucking meeting. What’s the secret here? It’s losing money.
— Kara Swisher
You are not gonna get this thing shit-posting the current CEO.
— Scott Galloway
Let me just tell you, this is my breath work and I’m gonna fucking do it… I predict in 2025, I will meet with Jeff Bezos or my name isn’t Kara Swisher.
— Kara Swisher
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