Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis Steps Down Amid Mass Layoffs
Will Lewis, the beleaguered CEO and publisher of The Washington Post, has tendered his resignation just three days after the newspaper implemented massive layoffs that left about one-third of its staff without jobs. In a note to employees shared on social media, Lewis cited "two years of transformation" as the reason for his departure.
During his tenure, Lewis acknowledged the need to make tough decisions to ensure the sustainable future of the Post. However, his decision comes after criticism from employees, including reports that he was absent from a critical Zoom call where layoffs were announced by executive editor Matt Murray. The cuts have scaled back foreign news coverage and shut down sections of the paper, including sports.
Murray's statement on restructuring plans aims to position the newspaper for a "rapidly changing era of new technologies and evolving user habits." A Post spokesperson confirmed that the affected staff accounted for approximately one-third of the newsroom.
The move has sparked renewed debate over editorial decisions made by Lewis' predecessor, Martin Baron. Baron expressed concerns over recent choices, including a controversial decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in 2024, which he believed harmed the paper's reputation. He also criticized Post owner Jeff Bezos for prioritizing other businesses over the newspaper.
The acting publisher, Jeff D'Onofrio, has been in the role of chief financial officer since June 2025 and previously served as CEO of Tumblr. A statement from The Washington Post did not mention Lewis by name but acknowledged the need to restructure and move forward under new leadership.
Will Lewis, the beleaguered CEO and publisher of The Washington Post, has tendered his resignation just three days after the newspaper implemented massive layoffs that left about one-third of its staff without jobs. In a note to employees shared on social media, Lewis cited "two years of transformation" as the reason for his departure.
During his tenure, Lewis acknowledged the need to make tough decisions to ensure the sustainable future of the Post. However, his decision comes after criticism from employees, including reports that he was absent from a critical Zoom call where layoffs were announced by executive editor Matt Murray. The cuts have scaled back foreign news coverage and shut down sections of the paper, including sports.
Murray's statement on restructuring plans aims to position the newspaper for a "rapidly changing era of new technologies and evolving user habits." A Post spokesperson confirmed that the affected staff accounted for approximately one-third of the newsroom.
The move has sparked renewed debate over editorial decisions made by Lewis' predecessor, Martin Baron. Baron expressed concerns over recent choices, including a controversial decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in 2024, which he believed harmed the paper's reputation. He also criticized Post owner Jeff Bezos for prioritizing other businesses over the newspaper.
The acting publisher, Jeff D'Onofrio, has been in the role of chief financial officer since June 2025 and previously served as CEO of Tumblr. A statement from The Washington Post did not mention Lewis by name but acknowledged the need to restructure and move forward under new leadership.
. Will Lewis' departure is like, totally expected tho 
. I mean, who wouldn't want out of a job that's literally being cut in half? 
The way he was absent from the Zoom call that announced those layoffs is just wild... did he really expect us to believe he didn't know what was going down? 
Like, what even is "rapidly changing era of new technologies and evolving user habits" supposed to mean? 
Is this just a fancy way of saying they don't know what they're doing and are winging it? 
Like, isn't his whole thing about being a benevolent billionaire? 
Anyway, I'm low-key relieved to see some change at The Post... but also kinda sad for all those folks who lost their jobs 
"The biggest risk is not taking any risk..." - Mark Zuckerberg 
no worries, we'll just have to find new ways to consume our news and fact-check it ourselves 
. It's like, he knew things were gonna get tough with all them layoffs, but still didn't prepare himself for the fallout 
Sounds like it was more of a "I'm outta here" plan 
. The question is, what's next for The Washington Post? Can they recover from all this drama? 
and not just cut costs for the sake of it... they need to find that balance between making money and still doing real journalism. fingers crossed
. I mean, his whole "transformation" plan sounded like a fancy way of saying they're cutting costs left and right. And now that he's gone, it's like business as usual 
We'll see how this all plays out, but for now, it just feels like more of the same old stuff 
.
. Jeff Bezos is getting heat for this too, which is unfair – he's still a great businessman who cares about his employees 
. I hope the new acting publisher can bring some fresh ideas to the table and turn things around 
. We'll see what happens next!