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

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. I was just about to ...

Business • Media • 2 min read

Washington Post publisher Will Lewis steps down days after massive layoffs gut the newspaper

Updated 13 min ago
Updated Feb 7, 2026, 6:00 PM ET
PUBLISHED Feb 7, 2026, 5:53 PM ET
By Andrew Kirell, Brian Stelter


Washington Post publisher Will Lewis abruptly stepped down on Saturday afternoon. (Carlotta Cardana/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

The Washington Post’s publisher Will Lewis has stepped down, just days after the newspaper laid off one third of its newsroom.

“After two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside,” Lewis wrote Saturday afternoon 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.”

{snip}