In brief
The Guardian reported that about 100 people were understood to have lost their jobs, after some staff were told on Thursday, 22 October, that they were being fired. A source told Reuters the cuts could reach around 15 percent of staff.
Chief executive Carolin Hulshoff Pol's email on Friday, 23 October, launched a formal consultation on restructuring the Telegraph Media Group.
Hulshoff Pol said the Telegraph would become a global, AI-powered premium media and intelligence business, with new revenue from video, audio, events and B2B.
Axel Springer bought the title in June for £575m after about three years of uncertainty over its future, and Mathias Döpfner said he intended to invest in it.
- June 2026Axel Springer completes the purchase of the Telegraph for £575m
- 22 OctSome staff are told on Thursday that they are being fired
- Friday morning, 23 OctoberStaff receive calls and emails and an all-company briefing; about 100 jobs reported lost
Restructuring under new ownership
Axel Springer's Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has opened a formal consultation on restructuring the British newspaper, only months after the German group completed its takeover. In an email to staff, chief executive Carolin Hulshoff Pol said the company must change its organisational structure, its decision-making and the way it allocates resources, while raising efficiency. The Guardian reported that some staff were told on Thursday, 22 October, that they were being fired, while others received calls and emails on Friday morning. An all-company briefing followed on Friday, 23 October.
Scale of the job cuts
The Guardian said about 100 people were understood to have lost their jobs, and it reported that up to 100 employees had been told of their dismissal. Bloomberg also reported job cuts at the Telegraph without giving a number. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters the reduction could amount to around 15 percent of staff, across the newsroom and all other areas. The Telegraph did not comment on that estimate. Earlier figures cited by N-tv put the group at about 900 employees in 2024. No final number of job cuts has been confirmed in the reporting so far.
A strategy built on AI
Hulshoff Pol's email set out a plan to move the paper away from being a leading British newspaper.
“Our ambition is to transform the Telegraph from a leading British newspaper into a global, AI-powered premium media and intelligence business.”
According to the Guardian, the new revenue plan covers video, audio, puzzles, events, B2B, licensing, commerce and new products. The paper also intends to grow its international audience, particularly in foreign affairs, defence and business. The Guardian added that the title would lean more heavily on technology, data and AI to reinvent the reader experience. N-tv reported that Springer wants to take the English-language title into the US market.
The acquisition and the wider Springer group
Axel Springer completed the purchase in June for £575m, ending about three years in which other potential buyers were blocked, fell through or faced fierce internal opposition. A Greek report said the British Labour government had given the deal its approval. Mathias Döpfner, the group's chief executive and controlling shareholder, pledged to invest in the paper so that it becomes the 'leading centre-right media outlet in the English-speaking world'. The Financial Times has reported that Axel Springer also tried to buy the European arm of TikTok, which would have given it control of TikTok's operations on the continent. The group already owns Bild, Die Welt, Politico and Business Insider.
What comes next
The formal consultation is now under way, and Hulshoff Pol has warned that difficult choices are needed for the company's future. Bloomberg reported that staff at risk would be emailed by midday. A source inside the Telegraph described the newsroom atmosphere as 'like a morgue' after the cuts were announced. The reporting so far does not give a final headcount or a timetable for the outcome of the consultation.