Politico

Politico is a political news organization in Washington, D.C. Its founders, John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei, left The Washington Post in November 2006 to build it for Robert Allbritton of Allbritton Communications, whose planned Capitol Hill newspaper, the Capitol Leader, became the new publication; the website launched in January 2007.¹ In 2021 Allbritton sold it to the German publisher Axel Springer.²

Founding under Allbritton

Allbritton's company president, Fred Ryan, described the plan as an "ESPN of Politics." When the deal with Harris and VandeHei was signed in November 2006, Allbritton, who financed the company personally, "retained ownership of 100 percent of its stock." Its early growth rested on the Playbook newsletter of Mike Allen.¹

2016 departures

In 2016 VandeHei pressed Allbritton to sell part of the company; the owner "refused to pursue it." Luke Mullins of Washingtonian wrote that the sources of tension "included...power, ambition, ego, glory. But they also included money." VandeHei, Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz left, VandeHei saying "I plan to start a new venture when I depart."¹

Sale to Axel Springer

On August 26, 2021 Axel Springer announced that it had agreed to acquire Politico from Allbritton, together with the remaining 50 percent of their joint venture Politico Europe, launched in 2014, and the technology news site Protocol. The parties did not disclose terms. Allbritton stayed on as publisher of Politico and Protocol. Axel Springer's chief executive, Mathias Döpfner, said: "We mutually believe in the necessity of editorial independence and nonpartisan reporting." Allbritton said he "would only welcome a new investor that reflected my values and POLITICO's distinctive company values."² CNBC, citing "a person familiar with the matter," put the price at more than 1 billion dollars and reported that KKR owned about 48 percent of Axel Springer at the time.³

Coverage of Open Philanthropy

On October 13, 2023 the Politico reporter Brendan Bordelon published "How a billionaire-backed network of AI advisers took over Washington," on the funding by Open Philanthropy of fellows placed in congressional offices and federal agencies through the Horizon Institute for Public Service, followed on December 15, 2023 by "Think tank tied to tech billionaires played key role in Biden's AI order," on the RAND Corporation.⁴⁵ In December 2025 Semafor reported that Open Philanthropy had been "bothered by media coverage of it, in particular a series of critical stories from Politico," and had hired political communications staff.⁶