Washington Post CEO steps down after massive layoff

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Washington Post CEO and publisher Will Lewis has stepped down, just days after the newspaper announced a sweeping layoff, the company said Saturday.

Matt Viser, White House bureau chief for The Washington Post, shared Lewis's farewell email to staff on the social media platform X.

"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," reads the email.

The announcement came three days after the company laid off 30 percent of the staff -- more than 300 journalists, including the entire sports and books sections, along with several foreign bureaus.

Lewis was brought in by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos at the beginning of 2024 to "transform the publication and turn around years of financial losses and audience decline," said a report by The New York Times.

His tenure has been marked by "a mass exodus of journalists ... and broad dissatisfaction in the newsroom," the report added.

Lewis will be succeeded by Jeff D'Onofrio, the chief financial officer of The Washington Post.