Top reporters still do important work, and hopefully Bezos will find a way to profit from it that's better than selling unpersonalized ads in a dying medium.
― wombspace (abanana), Tuesday, 6 August 2013 12:17 (ten years ago) link
Amazon is basically becoming the Standard Oil of consumer products. Although Standard Oil was profitable much sooner.
― HOOS next aka won't get steened again (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 6 August 2013 13:59 (ten years ago) link
Ok here's something I don't understand: Bezos pays $250m to the Washington Post Company for the Post and other properties, and WPO stock goes up by $31+/share, which times 7.4million shares is around $250 million. But it's not like the company just gained $250 million out of thin air, they sold assets that were arguably worth that amount, if not more.
― HOOS next aka won't get steened again (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 6 August 2013 14:13 (ten years ago) link
WPO can reinvest the $250m money in Kaplan which is a profit-making business, unlike the Post. They've cut a loss-making arm that wasn't relevant to their core business and can now put more money into (i'd guess) expanding test prep and colleges in China.
― Inte Regina Lund eller nån, mitt namn är (ShariVari), Tuesday, 6 August 2013 14:22 (ten years ago) link
First act of Bezos (retrospectively, via time machine): prevent Richard Cohen from writing about the time he was cheated on.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 6 August 2013 14:22 (ten years ago) link
Hurting I know that you know that stock prices (can) go up on speculation, and the speculation (I guess) is that dropping off bad assets can increase the future value of shares (in the eyes of some investors.) And also, not really sure if it's wise to speculate on the exact amount of increased share value based on one day of trading but certainly there are buyers at the end of the day who are making decisions based on market cap.
That Cohen column is mind boggling.
Also: http://www.jackflack.com/2013/08/06/parsing-jeff-bezos/
xp
― the rofflestomper (dandydonweiner), Tuesday, 6 August 2013 14:48 (ten years ago) link
I hate MG but this is interesting:
http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/05/bezos-not-bozos/
― the rofflestomper (dandydonweiner), Tuesday, 6 August 2013 21:49 (ten years ago) link
I had always known precisely how I would react if she cheated on me. The relationship would end, swiftly, coldly, even sneeringly. My goodbye lines would be scathing, worthy of someone intending to make his living with words
― first I think it's time I kick a little verse! (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 6 August 2013 21:59 (ten years ago) link
That techcrunch article doesn't amount to much more than "Bezos is really smart, so he must know what he's doing with this." Maybe he just thinks the Washington Post is undervalued. Buffet thinks newspapers are undervalued too. Bezos doesn't happen to have any special knowledge of the newspaper industry, afaik, he's just making a bet. He might be right or wrong, but I don't see how it plays into some grand strategy (particularly as it's Bezos himself buying WaPo, not Amazon).
― HOOS next aka won't get steened again (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 6 August 2013 22:08 (ten years ago) link
Bloomberg story on Jeff Bezos
• Boss lacks empathy, creates billion-dollar corporation, doesn't know or care about real dad who abandoned him.
• Weird to see Walmart as the underdog taking a loss.
• These door desks, if there is a scourge of the 90s, it's these whimsical ideas about work culture - from bouncy balls in the hallways to these door desks. I don't even like casual Fridays, so maybe I just hate fun.
• Former president of my company used to send me ? emails. I sent him back replies that said ?? a couple of times. Then again, he wasn't Jeff Bezos either.
― pplains, Thursday, 10 October 2013 15:36 (ten years ago) link
The door desks are, hypothetically, "frugal" and are not particularly whimsical. There's really very little whimsy here. Compared to Google offices which generally seem to be described as expensive playgrounds for programmers.
The laugh is definitely distinctive and disturbing though, even experiencing it from a distance at one of those KeyArena Q+As.
― i too went to college (silby), Thursday, 10 October 2013 17:02 (ten years ago) link
whimsy's not the right word, but the whole Think Different by doing goofball shit.
― pplains, Thursday, 10 October 2013 17:33 (ten years ago) link
even frugal is questionable--i thought i remembered reading somewhere that they effectively break even after the necessary mods
― HOOS it because...of steen???? (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Thursday, 10 October 2013 17:52 (ten years ago) link
iirc the desk doors are a monument to frugality, but normal cheap desks would be waaay actually more frugal.
its ostentatious underconsumption
― Saul Goodberg (by Musket and Pup Tent) (s.clover), Friday, 11 October 2013 02:31 (ten years ago) link
lol yeah that sounds about right. It's not like Seattle doesn't have an Ikea.
― i too went to college (silby), Friday, 11 October 2013 07:35 (ten years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C1aajuNUcAEZwj1.jpg
― mookieproof, Thursday, 5 January 2017 15:01 (seven years ago) link
omg
― slathered in cream and covered with stickers (silby), Thursday, 5 January 2017 15:02 (seven years ago) link
What's the estimate on the number of WaPo staff members currently cleaning out their desks?
― DJ Untz Hall (Old Lunch), Thursday, 5 January 2017 15:06 (seven years ago) link
I'm missing something here.
― Jeff, Thursday, 5 January 2017 17:52 (seven years ago) link
thats the dude symbol in the cover. it has a penis. the womens symbol has a plus.
― carthago delenda est (mayor jingleberries), Thursday, 5 January 2017 17:53 (seven years ago) link
lol epic fail
― flappy bird, Thursday, 5 January 2017 17:54 (seven years ago) link
hahaha
― the last famous person you were surprised to discover was actually (man alive), Thursday, 5 January 2017 17:55 (seven years ago) link
got it!
― Jeff, Thursday, 5 January 2017 17:56 (seven years ago) link
I was looking for a typo.
― Jeff, Thursday, 5 January 2017 17:57 (seven years ago) link
haha my goodness
― F♯ A♯ (∞), Thursday, 5 January 2017 18:13 (seven years ago) link
at least they made it pink
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 5 January 2017 18:17 (seven years ago) link
Since November the Post has been by far the place I've read the most anti-Trump articles, far more than NYT
― Bnad, Thursday, 5 January 2017 18:22 (seven years ago) link
If WaPo is anything like NYT, its never had as strong a subscription campaign as the Trump victory.
Somehow, I suspect Trump will also be paradoxically good for Prius and Tesla sales. "We can't depend upon Fed incentives anymore"...
― Least-satisfying overall (Sanpaku), Thursday, 5 January 2017 19:41 (seven years ago) link
has anyone made that cover blunder into the prince manwoman insignia yet
― his eye is on despair-o (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 5 January 2017 20:59 (seven years ago) link
Hand to heart, I've been wondering the same thing. And also wishing that they'd made that mistake instead.
― Grand Moff Tarkus (Old Lunch), Thursday, 5 January 2017 21:01 (seven years ago) link
There's remarkably few stock images for "female symbol crowd". On the other hand, there's plenty of image taken of this Filipino assembly for Int'l Woman's Day, 2014.
http://www.usasianpost.com/wp-content/uploads/women.jpg
― Least-satisfying overall (Sanpaku), Thursday, 5 January 2017 21:14 (seven years ago) link
Bezos eats an iguana
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiVjJ7RgJlq/
― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Friday, 4 May 2018 21:11 (five years ago) link
https://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/the-freshman-komodo-dragon-2.jpg?quality=95&w=600
― louise ck (milo z), Friday, 4 May 2018 21:32 (five years ago) link
lizard person is cannibal
― Mahogany Loggins (bizarro gazzara), Friday, 4 May 2018 21:36 (five years ago) link
oh goody! with a bit more digital magic we can have him eating whatever we want right out of our hands.
― A is for (Aimless), Saturday, 5 May 2018 00:39 (five years ago) link
https://addictedtohorrormovies.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/dream-device.jpg
― Zhoug speaks to you, his chosen ones (Sanpaku), Saturday, 5 May 2018 18:49 (five years ago) link
On the top of the WaPo website, just beneath the bona fides, there's a little row of clickbait stories. They're horrible, but usually at least one looks passably interesting. Today, though, they reached their nadir:
Tucker Carlson John McCain Drug tunnel Cancun 'Free range' parents Yoga ball White males Therapy ducks Hurricane Lane Robin Leach Urban Meyer Kyrie Irving
― remy bean, Friday, 24 August 2018 22:58 (five years ago) link
that unit pretty routinely begs for copy-pasting
John McCain Drug tunnel Cancun
― faculty w1fe (silby), Friday, 24 August 2018 23:10 (five years ago) link
brooklyn's got a winning team
― Arch Bacon (rushomancy), Saturday, 25 August 2018 00:44 (five years ago) link
British politician sex
― Neuer write off the germans (Bananaman Begins), Saturday, 25 August 2018 07:53 (five years ago) link
Good to see some of Jeff Bezos' money trickling down to...David Geffen
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-12/bezos-sets-record-with-165-million-beverly-hills-home-purchase
― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Thursday, 13 February 2020 01:01 (four years ago) link
Bought a 2nd house in DC too, plus buying art. Trump’s personal and corporate tax rates are working well for him. He pays nothing
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 13 February 2020 02:57 (four years ago) link
well someone's getting Aerosmith back
― sorry for butt rockin (Neanderthal), Thursday, 13 February 2020 03:04 (four years ago) link
pic.twitter.com/TVBnIYPtyL— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) June 10, 2021
just checking to see if democracy has died in the dark yet
― calzino, Friday, 11 June 2021 07:05 (two years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E3ju6TRWUAADR02?format=jpg&name=large
Opinions by Megan McArdle
― calzino, Friday, 11 June 2021 07:09 (two years ago) link
lotta people upset about the "Libs of Tiktok" lady getting "doxxed" today! I forget, is freedom of speech bad now?
― frogbs, Tuesday, 19 April 2022 14:53 (one year ago) link
#wiegeled
― mookieproof, Monday, 6 June 2022 22:59 (one year ago) link
Seems like an overreaction
― frogbs, Tuesday, 7 June 2022 00:17 (one year ago) link
perhaps. but also perhaps karma for the worse things he's tweeted
nevertheless, i have no idea how FS continues to work in that environment
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 7 June 2022 00:37 (one year ago) link
welp
WaPo has fired Felica Sonmez. https://t.co/nT6ch0lIsc— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) June 9, 2022
― mookieproof, Friday, 10 June 2022 00:35 (one year ago) link
Damn, they suspended Weigel for that? Whatever happened to the whole “retweets are not endorsements” thing?
― Mr. Snrub, Friday, 10 June 2022 02:02 (one year ago) link