In his address to the team, Lewis noted that during his leadership, he had to make difficult decisions to ensure a sustainable future for WP, so that the newspaper could continue to provide quality and impartial news to millions of readers every day.
The newspaper's Chief Financial Officer, Jeff D'Onofrio, will temporarily take on the responsibilities of publisher and CEO.
Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, commented on the leadership changes, stating that D'Onofrio is ready to take the publication to a "new, exciting phase." However, he did not address the upcoming layoffs.
The WP workers' union expressed on social media platform X that Lewis's resignation was inevitable. The post noted that his legacy would be associated with attempts to dismantle the renowned American journalism institution. The union urged Bezos to either cancel all layoffs or sell the newspaper to someone willing to invest in its future.
On February 4, agencies Reuters, The New York Times (NYT), and other news sources reported that WP management had laid off about 300 employees, including members of the international department. It was also decided to close the sports and books departments, as well as the daily podcast Post Reports. NYT added that the layoffs were due to a decline in subscribers and financial difficulties.
