There was an ulterior motive and the impact was deliberate.
Further down the article:
> O'Neal was brought in by Bezos this summer after the corporate titan tore up his paper's opinion section.
> Bezos said he wanted a tight focus on two priorities: personal liberties and free markets. The top opinion page editor resigned. A raft of prominent columnists and contributors resigned or departed as well. Some were let go.
Further down the article:
> O'Neal was brought in by Bezos this summer after the corporate titan tore up his paper's opinion section.
> Bezos said he wanted a tight focus on two priorities: personal liberties and free markets. The top opinion page editor resigned. A raft of prominent columnists and contributors resigned or departed as well. Some were let go.