Will Lewis, the CEO and publisher of The Washington Post, announced his resignation on Saturday, days after the publication announced a devastating round of job cuts of 1/3 of its staff.
Jeff D’Onofrio, who joined the Post as chief financial officer in June, will serve as acting publisher and CEO.
“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 non partisan news to millions of customers each day,” Lewis wrote in a note to staffers.
Lewis had been absent from a Zoom call earlier this week when the layoffs were announced to editorial staffers by Matt Murray, the executive editor of the Post. Lewis was spotted at a Super Bowl event in San Francisco this week.
D’Onofrio wrote in a note to staffers, “I’m honored to take the helm as acting Publisher and CEO to lead us into a sustainable, successful future with the strength of our journalism as our north star. I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with all of you to make that happen.”
Bezos, who had not commented on the job reductions, issued a statement on Saturday saying, “The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap of 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.”
The Post has reportedly been losing tens of millions of dollars, a reversal from the past decade, when the publication seemed to be poised to be an enduring rival to The New York Times in the ever-changing digital age. Most legacy media news publications have struggled with a shrinking traditional ad base, but the Post’s efforts to grow areas like video and podcasting have produced some innovative programming, but those areas also saw significant cuts in the layoffs this week.
Lewis was named CEO in 2023, but his tenure was tumultuous, even beyond job cuts and buyouts. His choice to lead the newsroom, Rob Winnett, dropped out after ethical concerns were raised over his and Lewis’ past editorial practices while working for Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper, the Sunday Times, in the UK. Lewis had denied wrongdoing.
One of Lewis plans, for a “third newsroom,” designed to reach untapped audiences through video and social media, never materialized as originally envisioned, and was ultimately separated from editorial.
In 2024, when Bezos nixed plans for the Post to endorse a presidential candidate, it led to an exodus of subscribers — more than 250,000, according to NPR. Last year, Bezos later shifted the strategy of the opinion pages, leading to an exodus of editors and columnists. The Amazon founder said that the opinion content would focus on the “defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.”
D’Onofrio previously served as chief financial officer for Raptive, a digital ad company, and previously was CEO at Tumblr.
His note to staffers is below:
All –
We are ending a hard week of change with more change. I joined The Washington Post in June with long-standing respect and admiration for not only the vitality and future of its journalism but for the critical role it plays in our democracy.
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 changing industry landscapes, and we rose to meet those moments. I have no doubt we will do just that, together.
Customer data will drive our decisions, sharpening our edge in delivering what is most valuable to our audiences. The uncompromising, fearless journalism produced under the leadership of Matt and Adam is paired with a renewed commitment to building a sustainable business.
I’m honored to take the helm as acting Publisher and CEO to lead us into a sustainable, successful future with the strength of our journalism as our north star. I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with all of you to make that happen.
Jeff D.