The Washington Post: CEO Steps Down After 300 Job Cuts Made

Just days after announcing a mass lay off at the daily newspaper, The Washington Post CEO William Lewis announced that he is stepping down from the position.

In a message to staff, posted on X by employees, William wrote: “All - after two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside.

“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.”

He said that during his tenure he has made “difficult decisions” for the future of the Jeff Bezos-owned paper, “so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality non-partisan news to millions of customers each day.

The Post said in a statement on 7 February that Jeff D’Onofrio, its Chief Financial Officer, will serve as the acting CEO. 

It describes Jeff, who joined in June 2025, as “a strategic business leader and proven architect of the new media landscape”.

Discussing the acting position, Jeff said in the statement: “The Post’s resolute commitment to writing the first rough draft of history anchors and imprints its future.

“I am honoured to become part of charting that future and to take the lead in securing both the legacy and business of this fierce, storied American institution.”

A drastic change for the workforce

The announcement comes just three days after the paper confirmed it would be laying off one-third of its workforce, around 300 employees, impacting those in the sports, local and foreign sectors.

It’s been widely reported that Executive Editor Matt Murray has said that the cuts would bring “stability”

In the staff memo to employees he added, according to the BBC: “Today’s news is painful. These are difficult actions.

“If we thrive, not just endure, we must reinvent our journalism and our business model with renewed ambition.”

The International Federation of Journalists, which represents over 600,000 media professionals across more than 140 countries, said the announcement follows “weeks of uncertainty and rumours of widespread layoffs, during which time management remained silent”.

It adds that the employees who have been made redundant will continue to be on payroll until 10 April, but will “not be required to work”.

Support for the laid-off workers

Following the news, a GoFundMe was set up by organiser Michelle Lee to support workers who are hired from outside of the US.

“These are correspondents and editors hired out of subsidiaries outside the US, as well as local employees - researchers, translators, office managers and drivers - in place from Cairo to Mexico,” she wrote in the description of the fundraiser.

Michelle added: “These workers are not eligible for protection under the Washington Post Guild and are, in many instances, being laid off with less favorable terms while also facing immense logistical challenges, and in certain cases, serious security risks.”

Another fundraiser was also set up by Rachel Siegel and members of The Washington Post Guild to help the laid-off workers with financial aid and searching for a new job. Within the first day of the fundraiser being open, it raised US$350,000 out of its US$600,000 target.

In the statement made by The Washington Post around the temporary CEO, Jeff Bezos said: “Jeff, along with Matt and Adam, are positioned to lead The Post into an exciting and thriving next chapter.”