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Who is Will Lewis? CEO of WaPo abruptly resigns after mass layoffs
Washington Post CEO Will Lewis resigns after two years, days after the publication cut one-third of the newsroom staff.
Will Lewis, the publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, has announced his resignation. Lewis informed staff of his decision in an internal message on Saturday, just days after the newspaper announced cuts to roughly one-third of its newsroom staff.
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Who is Will Lewis?
Will Lewis, 56, is a British journalist and media executive who was appointed CEO and publisher of The Washington Post in 2023.
Before he joined the Post, Lewis had a long career in journalism and media management in the United Kingdom and the U.S. He has held leadership roles at Dow Jones & Company and The Wall Street Journal. Before his shift to U.S. media outlets, he had held senior editorial positions at prominent UK tabloids, but not without prominent scandals.
His resignation comes just three days after the Post repositioned the financially struggling publication and laid off about one-third of its workforce, citing cost-cutting measures.
In the internal email to the Post Staffers obtained by The Guardian, Lewis wrote, “All – after two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside."
He further thanks Jeff Bezos in the email and wrote, "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.”
Lewis has come under fire for his leadership and absence from the all-staff meeting where the cuts were disclosed.
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Will Lewis family and salary
Details about his personal life have generally been private, and Lewis has rarely spoken publicly about his family outside of industry profiles. He mentioned his wife, Rebecca, by her first name in the WaPo profile when he was elected CEO.
Axios reported in 2024 that Lewis and his wife, Rebecca, had spent more than $7 million on a Georgetown home in Washington with six bedrooms and seven bathrooms and now live there with the family.
It is known that he holds several honorary degrees and has been recognised for his contributions to journalism internationally, including a Knight Bachelor honour received in 2023 as part of the UK’s Resignation Honours.
The precise figures of his salary have not been publicly disclosed.
