The Washington Post announced on Saturday, 7th February, that its CEO and publisher, Will Lewis, has resigned with immediate effect, just days after the newspaper carried out one of the largest layoffs in its history. The resignation came at a time when the 147-year-old newspaper is facing financial difficulties, shrinking readership and increasing anger among employees in the newsroom.
Breaking News: Will Lewis stepped down as the chief executive and publisher of The Washington Post days after it laid off hundreds of journalists. https://t.co/lu63u2pz0e
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 7, 2026
Lewis informed employees of his decision through an email, saying that it was the “right time” for him to move on. He described his tenure as a period of transformation and said difficult choices were made to protect the paper’s long-term future. The email was later shared publicly by several Post journalists.
Lewis took charge in 2023 after replacing Fred Ryan, who had led the organisation for nearly ten years. Before joining the Post, Lewis was the former head of The Wall Street Journal and has been associated with British and US media circles for a long.
Interim leadership and Bezos’ statement
After Lewis’ resignation, the Post named its chief financial officer, Jeff D’Onofrio, as its new acting CEO and publisher. D’Onofrio recently joined the company last year to take over as the new leader in this challenging time for the newspaper.
The Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, who acquired the report in 2013. Bezos stated that the Post is a long-term, generational investment. In a statement following Lewis’s exit, Bezos said the Post still had a powerful journalistic mission coupled with an exceptional opportunity to come. Bezos further stated that, in the near future, the Post will be influenced by readers.
Notably, neither Lewis nor Bezos addressed staff directly during the meeting where layoffs were announced earlier in the week. This absence added to the frustration among journalists, many of whom had written directly to Bezos in recent weeks asking him to step in and prevent major job cuts.
The Washington Post lays off 300 employees
Just days before Lewis decided to resign, the Washington Post confirmed it was cutting more than 300 jobs, amounting to roughly one-third of its workforce. The layoffs affected nearly every department and led to a sharp reduction in coverage, especially in sports, local reporting and international news.
The sports desk was shut down, local reporting teams were cut heavily, and several foreign bureaus were closed or scaled back. Entire teams, including the Middle East desk, were removed.
Some reporters received termination emails while working in active conflict zones. Executive Editor Matt Murray told staff the paper would now focus more on US politics, national security, health and lifestyle content, with a newsroom strength of around 500 people.
The cuts also impacted international journalists, including senior correspondents based in India and the Middle East, many of whom shared emotional farewell messages on social media.
A turbulent end to a controversial tenure
Lewis’s time at the Post was marked by financial strain and repeated internal crises. The paper reportedly suffered annual losses running into tens of millions of dollars, at one point nearing $100 million. Subscriber numbers also fell sharply after changes to editorial direction and opinion pages, leading to hundreds of thousands of cancellations within months.
Newsroom morale continued to slide as reporters raised concerns about leadership decisions, shrinking global coverage and the paper’s future direction. Veteran journalists publicly criticised choices made at the top, saying they worsened the Post’s long-term challenges.
With Lewis departure and D’Onofrio stepping in as interim chief, the Washington Post faces the task of rebuilding trust, stabilising its finances and redefining its identity in a fast-changing media world while trying to hold on to its reputation as one of America’s most influential newspapers.
