Washington Post names tech industry veteran as CEO following major layoffs

The Washington Post has named Jeff D’Onofrio as its new chief executive officer and publisher, effective immediately.

D’Onofrio replaces William Lewis just days after the company executed mass layoffs that eliminated one-third of its workforce and dissolved its entire sports department.

In a statement, D’Onofrio said he is honored to help shape the future and protect the legacy and business operations of the news organization.

D’Onofrio joined The Post as chief financial officer in June 2025 after holding leadership positions at Google, Yahoo, Tumblr, and Raptive. Lewis served as CEO and publisher for the past two years.

In a message to staff, D’Onofrio acknowledged that the industry is currently facing a challenging time. Owner Jeff Bezos said the company’s vision will be data-driven, emphasizing that data will determine value and dictate where the organization focuses its efforts.

The appointment of Jeff D’Onofrio—a finance executive with deep roots in the tech sector via Google and Yahoo—to the top leadership role at The Washington Post signals a definitive pivot in the strategic priorities of the American media landscape. By bypassing the traditional route of selecting a seasoned newsroom veteran in favor of a technology and finance specialist, the Post is making a calculated bet on business model revitalization amid persistent industry headwinds.

Owner Jeff Bezos’s directive to let “data lead the way” provides the roadmap for this transition. The mandate suggests a fundamental shift toward a content strategy dictated by engagement metrics, algorithmic optimization, and direct profitability, moving away from the purely editorial intuition that has historically governed legacy newsrooms. The recent dissolution of the sports department—a cornerstone of any major metropolitan daily—serves as a clear proof of concept: no division is considered sacrosanct if its fiscal performance fails to align with data-driven benchmarks.

This restructuring raises critical questions regarding the future of the Post’s primary value proposition. The fundamental challenge for D’Onofrio will be reconciling the push for operational efficiency with the maintenance of a high-cost investigative mission that rarely yields immediate financial returns. Whether a data-first executive can preserve the integrity of a “fierce news organization” while engineering a sustainable commercial future will be the defining test of his tenure. D’Onofrio’s ability to balance these competing interests will not only determine the trajectory of The Washington Post but may also establish the survival blueprint for legacy media in the digital age.

The leadership shakeup at one of America’s premier newspapers underscores a deepening crisis within the media industry, signaling a shift that will fundamentally alter how all communities—including the Vietnamese-American diaspora—access and consume news. From the bustling hubs of Little Saigon to the daily conversations in local nail salons and phở restaurants, this trend threatens to reshape the flow of information that keeps our community connected and informed.