Washington Post CEO Will Lewis announced his resignation on Saturday, three days after the respected American newspaper announced the layoffs of a third of its editorial staff.
Lewis announced his departure in a two-paragraph email to the paper's employees, indicating that, two years into the transformation, now was the "right time" for him to step down.
The Washington Post's CFO Jeff D'Onofrio has been named interim CEO.
Neither Lewis nor billionaire Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos were present at a meeting with editorial staff when the layoffs were announced on Wednesday.
Although the layoffs were expected, they were greater than expected, and as a result, the paper's famous sports desk was closed, the photography staff was laid off, and there were major reductions in staff responsible for reporting from Washington itself and abroad.
This came on top of a widespread exodus of talented journalists in recent years from the paper, which lost thousands of subscribers after Bezos ordered it in late 2024, near the end of the presidential campaign, not to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and refocused its "Opinions" section in a more conservative direction.
Lewis, who was born in the UK, was previously the managing director of the Wall Street Journal and took over the Washington Post in January 2024. His leadership of the paper was turbulent from the start, marked by layoffs and a failed reorganization plan that led to the departure of editor-in-chief Sally Busby.
Following this week's layoffs, there have been calls for Bezos to either increase his investment in the paper or sell it to someone who will take a more active role. In his message, Lewis praised Bezos: "This institution could not have a better owner," he said.
"During my time at the helm, difficult decisions were made to ensure a sustainable future for The Washington Post, so that it can continue to deliver high-quality, objective news to millions of users every day for many years to come," Lewis said.
The Washington Post union, which represents employees, said Lewis was long overdue for his departure.
"His legacy will be an attempt to destroy a great American journalistic institution. But it is not too late to save the Post. Jeff Bezos must immediately reverse the layoffs or sell the paper to someone who is willing to invest in its future," the union said.
Bezos did not mention Lewis in a statement in which he said D'Onofrio and his team were positioned to lead the paper into an "exciting and successful new chapter."
D'Onofrio, who joined the paper last June, wrote in a message to employees that they are ending a week of changes with more changes.
"These are challenging times across media organizations, and the Post is, unfortunately, no exception," D'Onofrio wrote, expressing confidence that the company will weather the economic hardships in a changing environment for the industry.
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