The Washington Post underwent a significant restructuring on Wednesday, resulting in widespread layoffs that included Ishaan Tharoor, son of Indian Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor. The publication, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, cut approximately one-third of its staff, impacting various departments. The restructuring involves the closure of the sports desk, scaling back of the books section, and a reduction in the international bureaus.

Ishaan Tharoor, a senior international affairs columnist and author of the "Today's WorldView" newsletter and column at the Post, confirmed his layoff via a social media post. In his message, he expressed his heartbreak over the move, particularly for his colleagues in the international division. "I have been laid off today from The Washington Post, along with most of the International staff and so many other wonderful colleagues," he wrote. "I'm heartbroken for our newsroom and especially for the peerless journalists who served the Post internationally — editors and correspondents who have been my friends and collaborators for almost 12 years. It's been an honour to work with them".

Tharoor also reflected on his work at the Post, noting that he launched the WorldView column in January 2017 with the aim of providing readers with a better understanding of global affairs and America's place in the world. He expressed gratitude to the column's half a million subscribers. In a separate post, Tharoor shared an image of the newsroom with a poster reading "Democracy Dies in Darkness," captioning it "A bad day". His father, Shashi Tharoor, reshared the post on X.

The Washington Post Guild has voiced strong opposition to the staff reductions, noting that the workforce has shrunk by roughly 400 people over the last three years. The guild emphasized solidarity with the laid-off colleagues and those remaining, who will be tasked with increased workloads.

The layoffs have been met with grief and outrage, with many reporters announcing their job losses on social media. U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) also criticized the newspaper's owner. Executive editor Matt Murray addressed the staff, stating that the company was undergoing a "strategic reset" to adapt to a rapidly changing media landscape. Murray noted the need for a "new way forward and a sounder foundation," acknowledging that the Post's structure had been too rooted in its past as a "quasi-monopoly local newspaper". He said that the restructuring plans are intended to "place The Washington Post on a stronger footing" and better position the paper in a "rapidly changing era of new technologies and evolving user habits".

The decision to reduce staff and scale back coverage comes after the Washington Post faced mounting financial losses. Publisher Will Lewis stated in 2024 that the paper had lost more than $177 million in the previous two years. The Post's former executive editor called the layoffs "among the darkest days" in the newspaper's history.