Jeff Bezos Reportedly Eyes Buy of CNBC as Tech Billionaires Gobble Up Media

Jeff Bezos is considering shopping for the monetary information community CNBC, based on a brand new report from the New York Submit, which cites nameless sources. Given the harm Bezos has already accomplished to the Washington Submit, anybody who values the knowledge they get from CNBC ought to in all probability be nervous.

An unnamed supply advised the New York Post that Bezos shopping for CNBC would “align properly along with his pursuits,” and it might stay a “impartial voice.” CNBC is being offloaded by its mother or father firm, Comcast, into a brand new publicly traded firm known as Versant by the tip of 2025. The corporate’s different cable TV networks, which embrace MSNBC, SYFY, the Golf Channel, USA Community, and E!, may even be part of Versant.

The Each day Beast reported Wednesday {that a} supply “near Bezos” advised the information outlet that he’s “not contemplating a bid to purchase CNBC,” however the man himself has not commented on the chance but. The Each day Beast denial can also be only one line with no additional rationalization.

Sources would possibly insist to the New York Submit that Bezos solely needs CNBC as a “impartial voice” in his media portfolio, however anybody who thinks Bezos is above tinkering with the editorial content material of his media properties hasn’t been paying consideration. The 61-year-old Amazon founder bought the Washington Submit in 2013 for $250 million and, by all public accounts, didn’t mess with the day-to-day course of the newspaper. However that each one modified shortly earlier than the 2024 presidential election, when the Washington Submit editorial board deliberate to endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate who was operating towards present President Donald Trump.

Bezos not solely spiked the endorsement of Harris however set about purging the writing employees of liberal voices on the opinion pages. Just lately, writers like liberal columnist Jonathan Capehart, TikTok man Dave Jorgenson, and polling professional Philip Bump have left the paper, taking buyouts supplied to individuals who don’t wish to be concerned within the new period of Bezos meddling.

These sorts of adjustments are any newspaper proprietor’s proper, however the shift has set off a wave of anger and outrage amongst individuals who see Trump’s presidency as a menace to the way forward for america as a liberal democracy. In line with NPR, Bezos misplaced the newspaper about 250,000 subscribers within the span of every week after information broke in regards to the Harris endorsement, and he reportedly misplaced 75,000 more because the billionaire introduced that anybody who didn’t adhere to his explicit ideology of “free markets and private liberties” ought to go away the storied media establishment.

Bezos additionally cozied as much as Trump, attending the president’s inauguration in January and extra just lately assembly with the president on the White Home final week, based on CNBC. The dude is seemingly all-in on the MAGA agenda of aggressive oligarchy.

Rumors just lately circulated that Bezos could also be concerned with buying Condé Nast, the media firm that owns magazines like Vogue and Wired. There was hypothesis that Bezos would possibly even simply carve out Vogue for his new bride, Lauren Sanchez, whom he married final month in Venice, Italy, a marriage that was met by protesters who didn’t respect his proximity to Trump.

At this level, it’s rumors and hypothesis. However generally rumors flip into actuality. And if Bezos buys CNBC, there’s an excellent likelihood it might change into the newest political instrument of a person price over $200 billion.