'To ensure sustainable future': Washington Post CEO Will Lewis resigns days after mass layoff - What's happening

In a dramatic turn of events, the Washington Post CEO Will Lewis stepped down on Saturday (Feb 7), days after the comapny laid off over 300 journalist in as a cost cutting measure. Lewis announced departure and end to his turbulent tenure in a two-paragraph email to employees, saying that it was the “right time” for him to step aside. The Post’s chief financial officer, Jeff D'Onofrio, has been appointed temporary publisher. Incidentally, Lewis did not attend the meeting to announce the job cuts. In his email, he praised owner Jeff Bezos, stating that the institution could not have had a better owner. Will Lewis was appointed as CEO in 2024, and his arrival caused major uproar in the newsroom including resignation by several veteran journalists. Before joining the Post, British-born Lewis served as a top executive at The Wall Street Journal.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post Guild, the union representing newsroom staff, called Lewis’s departure long overdue.“His legacy will be the attempted destruction of a great American journalism institution. But it’s not too late to save The Post. Jeff Bezos must immediately rescind these layoffs or sell the paper to someone willing to invest in its future," the Guild said in a statement.

Also Read: Washington Post lays off 1/3rd of its staff across all departments in ‘painful but necessary’ step

What's happening in Washington Post

The Washington Post on Feb 4 laid off over 300 journalists, across all departments. The Executive Editor, Matt Murray, described the step as “painful" but necessary to secure the paper’s future. He told the employees the newspaper was undergoing a “strategic reset" to better position itself in a crowded environment. Murray said the Post’s international reporting will be scaled back, but about 12 bureaus will remain, focusing on national security issues. The layoff came after months of uncertainty faced by the employees. In search of answers, they wrote multiple letters, emails and even tagged him the owner, Jeff Bezos on social media but he remained silent. The Post has been facing a crisis after Bezos blocked a drafted editorial endorsing Kamala Harris. According to reports, over 250,000 to 300,000 subscribers cancelled their memberships in protest. High-profile editors and columnists, including Robert Kagan, resigned in protest, calling the move "anticipatory obedience" to Donald Trump. In his defence, Bezos published an op-ed arguing that endorsements create a "perception of bias" and that ending them was a “principled decision.”

Also Read: Three letters in a week, multiple emails, countless internet posts - all unanswered. Why Jeff Bezos is silent on Washington Post layoffs?

Adding to the interference by Bezos was the role of Will Lewis, CEO appointed in 2024. From the UK phone-hacking scandal to his attempt to pivot the paper toward AI and service journalism with a new "third newsroom" to offset financial losses, has created a furore. Another report suggested that tensions sharply escalated when the new management and veteran journalists escalated after Lewis reportedly clashed with former Executive Editor Sally Buzbee, leading to her departure. Moreover, the paper reported staggering losses of $77 million in 2023 and $100 million in 2024 leading to cost-cutting measures. Executive Editor Matt Murray stated the company's structure was "too rooted in a different era" of local print. The cuts are part of a pivot to focus strictly on politics, national affairs, and investigative reporting, while eliminating entire departments like Sports, Books, and most Metro coverage.