Washington Post CEO, publisher Will Lewis resigns after mass lay offs, cites reason behind leaving Jeff Bezos' newspaper

Washington Post CEO and publisher Will Lewis said Saturday that he’s stepping down, three days after the troubled newspaper said that it was laying off one-third of its staff. Lewis sent an email to the Post’s staff, saying that “difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post.” Lewis and the newspaper’s billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, did not participate in a meeting with staff announcing the layoffs this week.


The Washington Post said Saturday its CEO and publisher Will Lewis was leaving effective immediately, just days after the storied newspaper owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made drastic job cuts that angered readers.



In an email to staff shared on social media by one of the newspaper's reporters, Lewis said it was "the right time for me to step aside." He has been replaced by Jeff D'Onofrio, who had joined the Post as chief financial officer last year, the paper announced.


"During my tenure, difficult ‌decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so it can for many years ​ahead publish high-quality ​nonpartisan news to millions of customers each ‌day," ‍Lewis wrote in a ‍message to staff that was shared online ‌by the newspaper's White House bureau chief, Matt Viser.


Jeff D'Onofrio, chief financial officer of the newspaper owned by Jeff Bezos, will serve as acting publisher and CEO, ‍the Post said. Lewis, a former Dow Jones chief executive and ‍publisher of ⁠the Wall ⁠Street Journal, was appointed to the role at the Washington Post in 2023. He took over from Fred Ryan, who had served as publisher and CEO for nearly a decade.