Will Lewis, CEO of the Washington Post, encouraged staff members who do not “feel” on the “reinvention” of the information company to resign on Wednesday in a business memo.
By highlighting the so -called “voluntary separation program” of the position which offers redemptions for the exit of employees, Lewis declared that “I really wish you the best chances” to employees who weigh if the management of the company is or not for them – and that “if you believe in our next chapter, I am excited for work before us”.
Lewis’ memo was reported for the first time by Ben Mullin from the New York Times. Read it entirely below:
Will Lewis sends an email to the staff of the Washington Post, encouraging those who “do not feel aligned” on the future plans of the company to consider the buyout offer. pic.twitter.com/b3a7w6hbub
– Ben Mullin (@benmull) July 9, 2025
“In the past year, we started on a significant reinvention trip to make the Washington Post more attractive and the public today,” Lewis’ memo. “We reinvent our opinion offering defenders of timeless American values; approach the traditional fatigue of front fatigue thanks to flexible access; Launch of new improvements in engaging products such as source; And quickly adopting AI in all our workflows.
“But we are far from over,” he continued. “The moment requires that we continue to rethink all aspects of our organization and our company to maximize our impact. If we want to reconnect with our audience and continue to defend democracy, more changes to the position will be necessary. And to succeed, we must be united as a team with a strong belief and a passion in the place where we are heading. ”
Lewis then declared that he understood that the “chosen path of the post is not for everyone” before quoting the company’s voluntary separation program, saying that it is “exactly why” he was introduced.
“While we are continuing in this new direction, I want to ask those who do not feel aligned in terms of business to think about this,” he said. “The VSP is designed to support you in decision -making, you give the possibility of weighing your options, which is, with less concern about the financial consequences. And if you think it’s time to go to a new chapter, the VSP helps you pass this next step with more security.
“No matter what you decide, I want to thank you all for everything you have done for this organization,” concluded Lewis. “If you choose to move away from the publication, thank you for all your contributions, and I really wish you the best luck. If you believe in our next chapter, I am delighted with work in front of us.”
The representatives of the position did not immediately respond to the request for the comments of Thewrap.
Lewis was appointed Managing Director of the position in 2023, after being previously CEO of Dow Jones. His mandate has undergone widespread changes in the document – and dissatisfaction pronounced by a number of long -standing employees.
More than 400 journalists in January sent an open letter to Bezos, saying that they were “deeply alarmed” by the news of the newspaper. The signatories asked Bezos to meet WAPO staff, but this meeting never took place.
In February, the founder of Amazon announced that the opinion section of his newspaper would focus on the “two pillars”, free markets and personal freedoms. This decision led to the former editor -in -chief of opinion David Shipley, as well as to the longtime columnist Ruth Marcus. The decision was also welcomed by the calls of former publishers Leonard Downie and Bob Kaiser to dismiss Lewis as CEO.
The revision of the opinion section was criticized by many journalists, but he was greeted by others: the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt and President Trump, both congratulated the newspaper for his changes under Bezos and Lewis.
“I got to know him and I think he is trying to do a real job,” said Trump about the management of the newspaper by Bezos in recent months. “Jeff Bezos tries to do a real job with the Washington Post, and that didn’t happen before.”
The president also mentioned that he had dinner with Bezos the day he announced his overhaul of the opinion section.
