, Columnist
Axel Springer’s Scandal Shows the Price of Global Ambitions
After the Politico acquisition, it can no longer say it’s just another German company.
New rules.
Photographer: Ina Fassbender/AFP
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Axel Springer SE’s excuse for lacking clear guidelines on workplace relationships in 2021 is that the same can be said for “most German companies.” But now that the Berlin-based publisher has bought influential U.S. peer Politico, it can no longer benchmark itself against only the local crowd. Its decision to terminate the employment of the editor of its best-selling Bild tabloid this week can be seen as tied to its growing international ambition.
Adopting broader standards has always been part of entering new markets. One lesson here is that this should apply to workplace relationships too.