JUST IN: Washington Post CEO Will Lewis Steps Down Just Days After Cutting Hundreds of Jobs

(Screengrab via NewsMediaWorks / Youtube)

Washington Post CEO and publisher William Lewis has announced he’s relinquishing his post just days after the legendary news outlet announced massive layoffs.

Lewis announced he was quitting in an email to staff on Saturday, saying “After two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside. I want to thank Jeff Bezos for his support and leadership throughout my tenure as CEO and Publisher. The institution could not have a better owner.”

Lewis continued, “During my tenure difficult decisions have been taken to 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.”

Media reporter Ben Mullin at The New York Times posted the email to X on Saturday evening:

His announcement comes after the paper laid off about 300 employees on February 4 — an editorial bloodbath that essentially wiped out its sports department.

Lewis is being replaced by CFO Jeff D’Onofrio, who joined the paper in June 2025. He was the CFO of Raptive for three years before joining WaPo, and prior to that he was the CEO at Tumblr.

Bezsos released his own statement Saturday, writing, “The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus. Jeff, along with Matt and Adam, are positioned to lead The Post into an exciting and thriving next chapter.”

CNN media reporter Brian Stelter wrote, “The Washington Post says CFO Jeff D’Onofrio is acting Publisher and CEO, ‘effective immediately.’ The press release makes no mention of Will Lewis supporting the transition in any way, which gives you a sense of what is happening here.”

In a separate post, Stelter wrote, “Post journalists had given up on him. Now Jeff Bezos has, too? Will be very interesting to hear Will Lewis’s side of the story someday.”

NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik wrote, “During crisis, Lewis was as checked out as a book from a public library without fines. And he was a man without any pockets of support inside the paper.

WaPo reporter Perry Stein wrote, “The reporters still here will work to continue bringing our readers the high quality coverage they deserve. But it won’t be easy and it won’t be the same.”

Other social media posters also commented:

Status reporter Natalie Korach posted D’Onofrio’s message to staffers on X on Saturday night. He acknowledged he was taking the reins after a “hard week” for the paper, but that he was looking to lead the paper into a “sustainable, successful future.”

His email said:

This is a challenging time across all media organizations, and The Post is unfortunately no exception. I’ve had the privilege of helping chart the course of disrupters and cultural stalwarts alike. All faced economic headwinds in challenging industry landscapes, and we rose to meet those moments. I have no doubt we will do just that, together.

D’Onofrio added “customer data” will “drive” WaPo’s decisions moving forward.

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