Will Lewis, CEO of The Washington Post, encouraged staffers who do not “feel aligned” with the news company’s “reinvention” to resign in a company memo on Wednesday.
Spotlighting The Post’s so-called “voluntary separation program” that offers buyouts for exiting employees, Lewis said “I truly wish you the best of luck” to employees who are weighing whether or not the company’s direction is for them — and that “if you believe in our next chapter, I’m excited for the work ahead of us.”
Lewis’ memo was first reported and shared by The New York Times’ Ben Mullin. Read it in full below:
Will Lewis emails the Washington Post staff, encouraging those who "do not feel aligned" with the company's future plans to consider the buyout offer. pic.twitter.com/b3a7w6HbuB
— Ben Mullin (@BenMullin) July 9, 2025
“Over the last year, we have embarked on a significant reinvention journey to make The Washington Post more appealing to, and trusted by, today’s audiences,” Lewis’ memo began. “We are reimagining our Opinion offering to champion timeless American values; tackling traditional subscription fatigue head-on through flexible access; launching new, engaging product improvements such as From the Source; and embracing AI rapidly across all of our workflows.
“But we are far from done,” he continued. “The moment demands that we continue to rethink all aspects of our organization and business to maximize our impact. If we want to reconnect with our audience and continue to defend democracy, more changes at The Post will be necessary. And to succeed, we need to be united as a team with a strong belief and passion in where we are heading.”
Lewis then said that he understands that The Post’s “chosen path is not for everyone” before citing the company’s voluntary separation program, saying that’s “exactly why” it was introduced.
“As we continue in this new direction, I want to ask those who do not feel aligned with the company’s plan to reflect on that,” he said. “The VSP is designed to support you in making this decision, give you the ability to weigh your options thoughtfully and with less concern about financial consequences. And if you think that it’s time to move on to a new chapter, the VSP helps you take that next step with more security.”
“Regardless of what you decide, I want to thank all of you for everything you have done for this organization,” Lewis concluded. “If you choose to move away from The Post thank you for all your contributions, and I truly wish you the best of luck. If you believe in our next chapter, I’m excited for the work ahead of us.”
Representatives for The Post did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Lewis was named chief executive of The Post in 2023, after having previously served as the CEO of Dow Jones. His tenure has seen widespread changes at the paper — and pronounced dissatisfaction from a number of longtime employees.
Over 400 journalists in January sent Jeff Bezos an open letter, saying they were “deeply alarmed” by the paper’s recent trajectory. The signees asked Bezos to meet with WaPo staffers, but that meeting never occurred.
In February, the Amazon founder announced his paper’s opinion section would be focused on “two pillars” moving forward, free markets and personal liberties. That decision led to former Opinion editor David Shipley quitting, as well as longtime columnist Ruth Marcus. The decision was also met with calls from former editors Leonard Downie and Bob Kaiser to fire Lewis as CEO.
The overhauling of the opinion section was criticized by many journalists, but it has been lauded by others: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and President Donald Trump have both commended the paper for its changes under Bezos and Lewis.
“I’ve gotten to know him, and I think he’s trying to do a real job,” Trump said about Bezos’ handling of the paper in recent months. “Jeff Bezos is trying to do a real job with The Washington Post, and that wasn’t happening before.”
The president also mentioned that he had dinner with Bezos on the day he announced his revamp of the opinion section.
