Will Lewis, the chief executive and publisher of The Washington Post, has officially resigned, the company confirmed on Saturday. His departure follows widespread criticism leveled against the newspaper after it implemented significant layoffs, affecting hundreds of its journalists.
In a concise statement, Mr. Lewis indicated his decision was made to “ensure the sustainable future of The Post.” Notably, his farewell email expressed gratitude solely to Jeff Bezos, the paper’s owner, making no mention of the Post’s journalists.
Lewis’s exit occurred just three days after the company, grappling with persistent financial setbacks, carried out substantial layoffs that reduced its workforce by 30 percent – impacting over 300 journalists. This move severely affected The Post’s local, international, and sports reporting. Marty Baron, the highly respected former editor of The Post, condemned it as “one of the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations.”
In a separate news release confirming Lewis’s resignation, Jeff Bezos affirmed The Post’s “essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity,” adding that “Each and every day our readers give us a road map to success.” Bezos’s statement conspicuously avoided any mention of the recent cost-cutting measures.
Jeff D’Onofrio, who currently serves as The Post’s chief financial officer, has been appointed as the interim chief executive.
Lewis’s abrupt departure caught many within The Post by surprise. He had participated in meetings just Wednesday, giving no hint of his impending resignation, sources familiar with the situation confirmed. The following day, Lewis was pictured at a Super Bowl event in San Francisco. This image, appearing shortly after the elimination of The Post’s sports department due to layoffs, sparked significant outrage among both current and former staff.
The somber news of the layoffs was conveyed to employees via a Zoom call by Matt Murray, the newspaper’s top editor. Lewis himself was notably absent from this call.
Katie Mettler, a former chair of the Washington Post Guild, expressed her sentiments on Saturday, stating, “I’m glad Will Lewis has been fired. I wish it had happened before he fired all my friends.”
Lewis did not provide comment when contacted on Saturday.
Jeff Bezos appointed Lewis at the start of 2024 with the mandate to revitalize the publication and reverse years of financial losses and dwindling readership. Despite a variety of new initiatives introduced by Lewis—including leveraging artificial intelligence, launching a new opinion product named “Ripple,” and setting an ambitious “big hairy audacious goal” of attracting 200 million paid users—The Post has struggled to achieve sustained profitability. The exact number of paid subscribers remains undisclosed as it is a private entity.
Lewis, whose career began as a reporter in Britain before he ascended through the ranks, previously held positions as chief executive of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal until his departure in 2020.
His leadership at The Post was characterized by a significant exodus of journalists, coming after staff numbers were already trimmed by buyouts the previous year, and widespread discontent among the newsroom staff. Furthermore, his journalistic ethics came under scrutiny as media outlets, including The Post itself, investigated his past conduct at British newspapers.
In May 2024, Lewis unveiled plans for a new third newsroom division at The Post, intended to operate independently from the primary political and business coverage. This new division was to focus on social media and service journalism. Shortly after, The Post’s executive editor, Sally Buzbee, resigned suddenly, and Lewis brought in two of his former colleagues to fill top editorial roles.
It was reported that Ms. Buzbee and Lewis had a significant disagreement shortly before her resignation. The conflict arose when Lewis reportedly objected to the newsroom’s intentions to cover a phone-hacking lawsuit in British courts that involved allegations against him and other individuals. Lewis has not been formally charged and has consistently denied accusations of concealing misconduct during his time as an executive at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp over a decade ago. He also denied pressuring Ms. Buzbee to suppress the story.
The day after Buzbee’s departure was announced, Lewis conducted a town-hall meeting to name her successor. During this meeting, he adopted a stern tone, telling reporters and editors, “People aren’t reading your stuff. Right. I can’t sugarcoat it anymore.” These comments were poorly received, and he did not address the newsroom in person again after that.
The growing mistrust between Lewis and The Post’s staff led two prominent former senior editors, Leonard Downie (who served as top editor for 17 years) and Bob Kaiser (a veteran of over five decades, including as managing editor), to email Jeff Bezos last year, imploring him to replace Lewis. Bezos reportedly never replied to their appeal.
Matt Murray acknowledged the ongoing challenges at The Post in a recent interview, stating, “I think morale has been a challenge at the Post for a while. It was a problem when I showed up, and it remains one in some ways now.” Murray joined The Post in 2024.
Early in his term, Lewis made personal efforts to connect with The Post’s journalists, aiming to instill confidence in the paper’s future. One such instance occurred in August 2024 when he met with Josh Dawsey, then a political enterprise reporter, at the Four Seasons in Georgetown. During this meeting, Lewis presented his new vision for The Post, as recounted by two individuals familiar with the discussion.
During their conversation over several drinks, Lewis reportedly told Dawsey he intended to stay for at least seven years and would overcome any critics. Following the meeting, Dawsey informed his colleagues that he had even offered to introduce Lewis to help him foster relationships within the newsroom.
However, Dawsey never received any further communication from Lewis.