Washington Post CEO Will Lewis steps down, days after a third of staff made redundant

The chief executive and publisher of the Washington Post has stepped down, just days after a third of the paper’s staff were made redundant.

In an email sent to staff, Will Lewis said that “during my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure ‍the sustainable future of The Post” – seemingly referencing this week’s layoffs – “so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day”.

He added: “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.”

Mr Lewis’ notice was shared online by Matt Viser, the Post’s White House bureau chief.

The Post said that Jeff D’Onofrio, chief financial officer of the newspaper owned by Mr Bezos, will serve as acting publisher ‌and CEO.

Mr 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 chief executive for nearly a decade.

His tenure had been rocky from the start, marked by redundancies and a failed reorganisation plan that led to the departure of former editor Sally Buzbee.

The Post also lost tens of thousand of subscribers following Mr Bezos’ order late in the US presidential campaign pulling back an expected endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, and subsequent changes to turn the editorial pages in a more conservative direction.

The latest round of layoffs were announced by the paper to staff on Wednesday, with several foreign bureaus, the sports section and its books coverage to be folded.

In a note to staff, executive editor Matt Murray called the move “painful” but necessary to put it on a stronger footing and adapt to technology and user habits, telling them the Post “can’t be everything to everyone”.