Will Lewis out as publisher and chief executive of The Washington Post

Will Lewis has stepped down as the publisher and chief executive of The Washington Post just days after layoffs gutted about one-third of the paper's newsroom.

Advertising executive Jeff D’Onofrio, formerly chief executive at art and fandom site Tumblr, has been appointed as acting publisher and CEO, and assumes the role immediately, the publication said.

Lewis, a veteran British media executive, was hired to run the Post in late 2023 by Bezos, who acquired the newspaper in 2013 for roughly $250 million. Lewis was tasked partly with reversing a precipitous decline in readership and annual losses in the tens of millions.

The sudden end for Lewis comes after he had become a target for criticism over his leadership of the paper and his apparent absence during the layoffs.

D’Onofrio takes the reins as the institution known for its influential investigative and beat coverage of the federal government has been shaken by mass layoffs this week.

The publication, envied by some for the deep pockets of owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, saw roughly one-third of its newsroom laid off on Wednesday, with its sports team seemingly struck the hardest.

"Jeff, along with [executive editor] Matt [Murray] and [opinion editor] Adam [O’Neal], are positioned to lead the Post into an exciting and thriving next chapter," Bezos said in a statement.

In early June 2024, Sally Buzbee, the executive editor of the newspaper, abruptly resigned after Lewis announced that the Post would be restructuring the newsroom.