Washington Post names acting CEO as Will Lewis exits
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The Washington Post headquarters in Washington, D.C. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Washington Post on Saturday announced that embattled CEO Will Lewis would be resigning after years of controversial leadership.
Why it matters: His resignation follows a dramatic and controversial move to lay off hundreds of journalists amid financial turmoil.
- In a memo, Lewis thanked owner Jeff Bezos for his support, adding "the institution could not have a better owner."
- "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."
Zoom in: Jeff D'Onofrio was named acting publisher and CEO. He joined the Post in 2025 as CFO and previously worked at Raptive, Tumblr and Google.
- In a note to staff, D'Onofrio acknowledged, "We are ending a hard week of change with more change."
- "This is a challenging time across all media organizations, and The Post is unfortunately no exception," he wrote.
- "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."
Catch up quick: Lewis has long been criticized by newsroom staffers for being absent and failing to develop a strong rapport with the journalists at the storied paper.
- The fury surrounding the Post's recent sweeping cuts was compounded by a photo that was taken of Lewis on Thursday that showed him attending a Super Bowl event the day after the layoffs were announced.
- Lewis' personal tensions with the newsroom and Bezos' opinion section directives also contributed to a talent exodus that have compounded the Post's business problems.
- Prior to the Post, Lewis served as founder, CEO and publisher of The News Movement, a social media news company. He was previously CEO of Wall Street Journal parent Dow Jones.
What they're saying: Bezos said in a statement, "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," Bezos added.
Editor's note: This story was updated with additional details throughout.
