Washington Post CEO out days after sweeping job cuts

The Washington Post said on Feb 7 its chief executive 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.

- 

Though newspapers across the US have been facing brutal industry headwinds, Mr Lewis’ management of the outlet was sharply criticised by subscribers and employees alike during his two-year tenure as he tried to reverse financial losses at the daily.

Mr Lewis, who is English, has been replaced by Mr Jeff D’Onofrio, a former CEO of social media platform Tumblr who had joined the Post as chief financial officer in 2025, the paper announced.

In an email to staff shared on social media by one of the newspaper’s reporters, Mr Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside”.

A statement from the Post said only that Mr D’Onofrio was succeeding Mr Lewis “effective immediately”.

Hundreds of Post journalists — including most of its overseas, local and sports staff — were let go in the sweeping cuts announced on Feb 3.

The Post did not disclose the number of jobs being eliminated, but The New York Times reported approximately 300 of its 800 journalists were laid off.