Jeff D’Onofrio, who served as CEO of Tumblr from 2017 to 2022, has been named the acting CEO and publisher of The Washington Post. He steps into this pivotal role, replacing Will Lewis, whose controversial tenure concluded amidst a week marked by significant layoffs. D’Onofrio was already an insider, having served as CFO at The Post since June of last year.
A New Kind of Leader for Traditional News
Despite his new and prominent position, D’Onofrio’s background is not deeply rooted in traditional news media. Prior to joining The Post, his most notable experience in a news-related capacity was as the General Manager of Yahoo News during its ownership by Verizon. Following that, he shifted his focus entirely to leading Tumblr, a period characterized by some highly debated decisions.
Tumblr’s Content Policy Under D’Onofrio
During D’Onofrio’s leadership at Tumblr, the platform attempted a significant rebranding by implementing a ban on adult content. This policy change, however, led to a substantial 30% decline in the platform’s traffic. It’s worth noting Tumblr‘s tumultuous ownership history: initially acquired by Yahoo for $1.1 billion in 2013, it was later sold to WordPress owner Automatic in 2019 for an undisclosed sum, rumored to be less than $3 million.