According to Gizmodo, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has provided an “irrevocable personal guarantee” of $40.4 billion to back his son David Ellison’s renewed bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. This new offer from David’s company, Skydance, came on Monday, just days after WBD rejected a prior hostile takeover attempt over financing concerns. The bid arrives amidst a crisis at CBS News, which Skydance acquired as part of its Paramount purchase. The crisis erupted when newly appointed CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss spiked a pre-promoted “60 Minutes” story on Trump-era migrant deportations just three hours before airtime. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi called the move a “political” decision, not an editorial one, creating a major scandal for the network.
The Ellison Media Playbook
So here’s the thing. This isn’t just a simple corporate takeover story. It’s a case study in how to leverage financial power and political alignment to reshape major media. David Ellison reportedly made concessions, like appointing Trump ally Bari Weiss to run CBS News, to get regulatory approval for the Paramount deal. Now, the same playbook seems to be in motion for Warner and CNN. The Wall Street Journal reports David Ellison even called Trump to argue a rival Netflix-WBD deal would hurt competition, while promising “sweeping changes” at CNN. That’s not subtle. It’s a clear signal of intent.
CBS News at DEFCON-1
The situation at CBS is basically a five-alarm fire for journalistic integrity. Weiss spiking the “60 Minutes” story, which had been cleared by lawyers and standards editors, is a staggering act of editorial interference. As detailed in The New York Times and discussed by media reporters like Michael Grynbaum, this isn’t a minor dispute. It’s a fundamental breach of trust. When a correspondent like Alfonsi flatly states a decision is “political,” it demoralizes the entire newsroom and tells the audience the news is no longer independent. And this happened within months of the Ellison takeover. Imagine what years would look like.
What a Warner Takeover Really Means
For WBD shareholders, the $40.4 billion guarantee from Larry Ellison is a massive, fat check that makes the financing concerns vanish. But they have to ask themselves: what are they selling? They’re not just selling a studio and a cable bundle. They’re handing over CNN, a global news institution, to owners who have already demonstrated a willingness to hollow out a flagship news division for political alignment. As commentators like Brian Stelter have highlighted, the precedent is set. The promise of “sweeping changes” at CNN, made directly to a president known to feud with the network, should send a chill down the spine of anyone who cares about a free press.
The Bottom Line
Look, corporate takeovers happen. But this one feels different. It’s a fusion of immense personal wealth, aggressive acquisition strategy, and overt political maneuvering. The Ellisons are working every angle: the boardroom, the regulators, and even the Oval Office. The CBS newsroom chaos is the canary in the coal mine, a live preview of what “sweeping changes” can look like on the ground. For the industrial-scale operation of a global news network, that kind of top-down interference isn’t just bad journalism—it’s a systemic failure. WBD shareholders now have a stark choice: take the guaranteed money and enable this model to expand, or bet that the long-term value of independent media is worth more. I’m not sure the fat check is worth what comes with it.
