Lewis announced his departure in a two-paragraph email to newspaper staff, saying that after a two-year turnaround, “now is the right time for me to step down.” The Post’s chief financial officer, Jeff D’Onofrio, has been named interim publisher.

Not Lewis or the newspaper’s billionaire owner Jeff Bezos participated in the meeting with the staff that announced the layoffs on Wednesday. As expected, the cuts were deeper than expected, resulting in the closing of the Post famous sports sectionthe elimination of its photography staff and the sharp reduction of personnel responsible for coverage of metropolitan Washington and abroad.

They’ve been at the forefront of widespread talent attrition in recent years at the newspaper, which lost tens of thousands of subscribers after Bezos’ bid late in the 2024 presidential campaign. withdrawing from a planned endorsement by Kamala Harris, and the subsequent reorientation of its opinion section in a more conservative direction.

Martin Baron, the Post’s first editor under Bezos, condemned his former boss this week for trying to curry favor with President Donald Trump and called what happened at the newspaper “a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.”

British-born Lewis was a former top executive at The Wall Street Journal before taking over The Post in January 2024. rocky from the startwas marked by layoffs and a failed reorganization plan that led to the departure of former top editor Sally Buzbee.

His first choice to replace Buzbee, Robert Winnett, withdrew from the job after ethical questions were raised about his and Lewis’ actions while working in England. They include paying for information that produces big stories, actions that would be considered unethical in American journalism. The current executive editor, Matt Murray, took over shortly thereafter.

Lewis did not endear himself to Washington Post journalists for being outspoken about their work, at one point saying in a staff meeting that they needed to change because not enough people were reading their work.

This week’s layoffs have led to some calls for Bezos to increase his investment in The Post or sell it to someone with a more active role. Lewis, in his note, praised Bezos: “The institution could not have had a better owner,” he said.

“During my tenure, tough decisions were made to ensure The Post’s sustainable future so that it can continue to publish high-quality nonpartisan news to millions of customers every day for years to come,” Lewis said.

The Washington Post Guildthe union representing staff members, called Lewis’ exit long ago.

“His legacy is an attempt to destroy a great institution of American journalism,” the Guild said in a statement. “But it’s not too late to save The Post. Jeff Bezos needs to immediately reverse these layoffs or sell the paper to someone willing to invest in its future.”

Bezos did not mention Lewis in a statement that said D’Onofrio and his team are positioned to lead The Post into “an exciting and prosperous next chapter.”

“The Post has an important journalistic mission and a unique opportunity,” Bezos said. “Every day our readers give us a road map to success. The data tells us what’s valuable and where to focus.”

D’Onofrio, who joined the role in June after working at digital ad management company Raptive, GoogleZagat and Major League Baseball, said in a note to staff that “we ended a tough week of change with more change.

“These are challenging times for all media organizations, and The Post is unfortunately no exception,” he wrote. “I had the privilege of helping to plan the course of the disruptors and cultural supporters.