Will Lewis, the Murdoch media veteran who took over as publisher and chief executive of the Washington Post in early 2024, announced abruptly on Saturday evening that he is leaving the company.

His departure comes just three days after the Post laid off nearly one-third of its entire staff, citing the need to cut costs and reposition the money-losing publication. Lewis, who did not appear on the all-staff meeting during which the cuts were announced, has faced criticism for his absence and leadership.

“All – after two years of transformation at The Washington Post, now is the right time for me to step aside,” Lewis wrote in an untitled email to Post staffers obtained by the Guardian. “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 then addressed some of the criticism that the Post has received in recent days, including from many current employees. At least 300 journalists were cut from the Post’s newsroom in one of the largest round of layoffs in American media history.

“During my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day,” Lewis wrote, signing off: “With gratitude, Will.”

Jeff D’Onofrio, who only joined the Post in June as chief financial officer, will serve as acting publisher and chief executive.

“This is a challenging time across all media organizations, and The Post is unfortunately no exception,” D’Onofrio wrote in a memo to staffers. “I’ve had the privilege of helping chart the course of disrupters and cultural stalwarts alike. All faced economic headwinds in changing industry landscapes, and we rose to meet those moments. I have no doubt we will do just that, together.

“I’m honored to take the helm as acting Publisher and CEO to lead us into a sustainable, successful future with the strength of our journalism as our north star,” he wrote. “I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with all of you to make that happen.”

Bezos, who has owned the Post since 2013, and who has received heavy criticism in recent days for his stewardship of the publication, released a statement touting the Post and its new leadership team – without addressing Lewis’s tenure overseeing the company.

“The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus,” Bezos said. “Jeff, along with [executive editor Matt Murray] and [opinion editor Adam O’Neal], are positioned to lead The Post into an exciting and thriving next chapter.”

During an interview last week, Murray defended Lewis when asked about his absence. “Look, Will has been engaged with me very closely on this for a long time,” Murray told Fox News. “And there were a lot of things that the company did and Will was engaged with all across the company, and I wasn’t. He had a lot of things to tend to today.”

Lewis also faced criticism when a former Post sports reporter published a photo of him at the festivities for Sunday’s Super Bowl, even after the Post largely destroyed its sports section, laying off writers who cover football.

Lewis, 56, joined the Post after a lengthy career working for Rupert Murdoch’s media properties. Most recently, Lewis had spent six years as chief executive officer and publisher of the Wall Street Journal, departing in 2020.

Lewis began his career as a journalist at the Financial Times. After working as business editor at the Sunday Times and editor in chief of the Telegraph from 2005 to 2010, Lewis was appointed group general manager at what was then called News International.

He played a key role in handling the aftermath of the hacking scandal that enveloped Murdoch’s UK media properties as part of the company-created management and standards committee that handled the company’s interactions with police investigating the allegations. Lewis said upon joining the Post that he did not plan to discuss his role in the aftermath of the hacking scandal any further.

His departure was celebrated by some current and former Post journalists who spoke with the Guardian.

“Will can put on British charm and knows how to manage up but eventually results matter,” said Glenn Kessler, a former Post journalist who has been critical of the paper’s leadership. “Every initiative he launched failed and he never found a way to boost readers for the Post.”