Will Lewis announced Saturday that he is stepping down as publisher of The Washington Post. The announcement came three days after the newspaper said it was laying off one-third of its staff.
Lewis sent an email to Post staff saying “difficult decisions have been made to ensure a sustainable future for The Post.”
In a staff memo shared online by White House chief of staff Matt Viser, Will Lewis thanked the newspaper’s owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos, and said, “…now is the right time for me to step down.
Will’s message to staff — full text
Will wrote: “All – after two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step down. I want to thank Jeff Bezos for his support and guidance throughout my tenure as CEO and publisher. The institution could not have had a better owner.”
“During my tenure, difficult decisions have been made to ensure a sustainable future for The Post, so that it can publish high-quality, impartial news for millions of customers every day for many years to come,” the statement read.
Who is in charge of The Post now?
The Post’s chief financial officer, Jeff D’Onofrio, has been named acting publisher and CEO. He joined the newspaper only last June, the Associated Press reported.
British-born Will Lewis was a former top executive at The Wall Street Journal before taking over The Post in January 2024.
His tenure was rocky from the start, marked by layoffs and a failed reorganization plan that led to the departure of former top editor Sally Buzbee.
The Post also lost tens of thousands of subscribers on Bezos’ order at the end of the presidential campaign, withdrawing an expected endorsement of Kamala Harris for president and subsequent changes that turned the editorial page in a more conservative direction.
While expected, last week’s layoffs were deeper than expected, resulting in the closure of the Post’s renowned sports section, sharp cuts to foreign and metro news coverage and layoffs of photo staff.