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The Washington Post’s publisher and CEO Will Lewis has abruptly stepped down, just days after the newspaper laid off one-third of its staff, including at least 300 journalists in the newsroom.
According to CNN, Post journalists, who believed Lewis had failed to turn around the publication’s fortunes, openly celebrated the news.
“After two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside,” Lewis wrote Saturday in a brief note to staff. “I want to thank Jeff Bezos for his support and leadership throughout my tenure as CEO and Publisher. The institution could not have a better owner.”
“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 nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day,” Lewis’ note concluded.
The Post said that CFO Jeff D’Onofrio, the former CEO of Tumblr who joined the Post in June, will take over as acting publisher and CEO, “effective immediately.”
Jeff Bezos, who has owned the Post since 2013, and who has received heavy criticism in recent days for his stewardship of the publication, released a statement touting the Post and its new leadership team – without addressing Lewis’s tenure overseeing the company.
