Bezos, one of the world’s richest people, with a net worth of $27.9 billion, will own the paper individually, with no involvement from Amazon. CEO Donald Graham made the announcement to the surprised staff on Monday. “There was an audible gasp,” said Marty Baron, the executive editor of the paper.

Baron said he had only been brought into the process “last week” and said he was not part of the blow-by-blow that prompted the Graham family, which has owned the newspaper for 80 years, to decide the paper had to be sold.