Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis Resigns After Jeff Bezos-Owned Media Outlet Laid Off 1/3 Of Staff; Jeff D’Onofrio To Serve As Acting CEO

Will Lewis, the CEO and publisher of The Washington Post, announced his resignation on Saturday, days after the publication announced a devastating round of job cuts of 1/3 of its staff.

Jeff D’Onofrio, who joined the Post as chief financial officer in June, will serve as acting publisher and CEO.

“During my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality non partisan news to millions of customers each day,” Lewis wrote in a note to staffers.

Lewis had been absent from a Zoom call earlier this week when the layoffs were announced to editorial staffers by Matt Murray, the executive editor of the Post. Lewis was spotted at a Super Bowl event in San Francisco this week.

D’Onofrio wrote in a note to staffers, “I’m honored to take the helm as acting Publisher and CEO to lead us into a sustainable, successful future with the strength of our journalism as our north star. I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with all of you to make that happen.”

Bezos, who had not commented on the job reductions, issued a statement on Saturday saying, “The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap of success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus. Jeff, along with Matt and Adam, are positioned to lead the Post into an exciting and thriving next chapter.”