Axel Springer is going all in on America

Mathias Döpfner is a polarising figure in Germany. Lefties loathe him for leading Axel Springer, a publishing giant, because of the aggressive gutter journalism of , its flagship tabloid that helps set the tone of the political debate. Conservatives take umbrage at his provocative pronouncements. And jealous types of all stripes envy his transformation from music critic to media mogul, who in 2020 received Springer shares worth a cool €1bn ($1.1bn) from Friede Springer, widow of the firm’s eponymous founder, as a gift.Across the Atlantic Mr Döpfner does not provoke similar passions. That is about to change, because his ambition is to turn his company into America’s top digital publisher, from number four today. “America has become the main heart chamber and the growth engine of our publishing business,” says Mr Döpfner. Springer already owns , an American website for political news junkies, , another news site, and , which offers business news. It is all part of Mr Döpfner’s plan to return to Springer’s origins as a news publisher, except mostly American, not German—and all digital.