The Washington Post's ongoing organizational upheaval takes a new turn as dozens of employees brace for imminent job cuts.
According to Daily Mail, the publication owned by Jeff Bezos is set to implement significant layoffs targeting its business division this week, amid financial struggles and a notable exodus of top talent following controversial decisions during the recent presidential election.
The news comes after the paper's self-reported $177 million loss in 2023 and a dramatic decline in readership, with audience numbers reportedly dropping by more than half. This latest round of cuts follows previous workforce reductions, including the layoff of a quarter of employees from ArcXP, the paper's software unit, and earlier buyout initiatives aimed at preventing further staff reductions.
William Lewis, the new CEO and publisher of The Washington Post, openly addressed the newspaper's troubling financial state in a straightforward message to staff at the Washington, D.C., office. Drawing on his experience at the Financial Times, Lewis gave an unvarnished evaluation of the publication's challenges.
He bluntly told employees that their content was failing to attract readers, highlighting a critical issue with audience engagement: "People are not reading your stuff."
The publication's troubles intensified when Bezos made an unprecedented decision to block the Post's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris before the November election. This move triggered an immediate cancellation of subscriptions by more than 250,000 readers, prompting Bezos to defend his decision through an op-ed citing growing media distrust.
The Post has recently lost several prominent staff members to competing publications. Well-known political reporters Michael Scherer and Ashley Parker have moved to The Atlantic while managing editor Matea Gold has accepted a position at The New York Times.
These departures occurred after Gold was passed over for the top editor role in favor of Matt Murray, a decision that remains officially unannounced by Lewis.
The exodus extends to the opinions section, where David Hoffman, Molly Roberts, and Robert Kagan resigned following the Bezos endorsement decision. Additionally, White House Correspondent Tyler Pager has departed to rejoin the New York Times, while opinion editor Amanda Katz and deputy Charles Lane have also left the publication.
Industry insiders suggest that Lewis may not view these departures as particularly concerning as he steers the Post toward a broader, nonpartisan future. In a January interview with Semafor, Lewis had praised Josh Dawsey as "his favorite reporter," yet Dawsey has now announced his departure to the Wall Street Journal.
The Post continues to lose key talent, with Leigh Ann Caldwell, the publication's chief Washington correspondent, being the latest to depart, having been recruited by Puck. These changes occur as the organization prepares for the incoming Trump administration and attempts to address its financial challenges.
The situation reflects a delicate balance between maintaining editorial integrity and ensuring financial sustainability. Bezos justified the non-endorsement decision in his op-ed, stating:
What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence. Ending them is a principled decision, and it's the right one.
The Washington Post, a historically influential newspaper owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, faces a critical juncture as it implements substantial layoffs affecting dozens of employees in its business division. The cuts come amid financial losses, plummeting readership, and significant staff departures following controversial editorial decisions during the 2024 presidential election. As the publication prepares for the incoming Trump administration, questions remain about its ability to maintain its journalistic standards while pursuing a new nonpartisan direction under CEO William Lewis's leadership.
