Washington Post C.E.O. Will Lewis Steps Down After Stormy Tenure

Will Lewis, the chief executive and publisher of The Washington Post, has stepped down, the company announced Saturday.

He said he had made the difficult decision "in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post." He will be replaced in the interim by Jeff D’Onofrio, formerly the chief financial officer.

Mr. Lewis was brought in by the Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, at the beginning of 2024 to transform the publication and turn around years of financial losses and audience decline.

He stepped down days after the company undertook a significant round of layoffs that cut 30 percent of the staff — more than 300 journalists — setting off widespread recrimination from current and former Post employees. Marty Baron called it one of the "darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations." Katie Mettler, a former chair of the Washington Post guild, said: "I’m glad Will Lewis has been fired. I wish it had happened before he fired all my friends."