Earlier this week, it was revealed that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had bought The Washington Post for $250 million. The ramifications of the purchase have yet to be felt, but Bezos claims that business will continue as usual at the prestigious newspaper.
Our favorite Taiwanese animators have a different take on the whole affair. They see the purchase as just the latest in a string of old, rich guys buying up newspapers as collector’s items, and that the sale of the Post must have previous owner Katherine Graham spinning in her grave.
They do make the astute observation that Bezos is the first Silicon Valley billionaire to buy a newspaper. Is it a trend that will increase as more newspapers around the country bleed more money? Going online may help these newspapers regain profitability and the Silicon Valley types could help lead them through the transition.
For now, we’ll have to see if Bezos and the current management team at the Post can lead it to profitability once again. If it’s successful, we might just see more acquisitions like it.