Will Lewis announced he is stepping down as publisher and CEO of The Washington Post after two turbulent years marked by controversy, deep financial losses, and mass layoffs.

More than a third of the newsroom was cut after losses reached as high as $100 million, with Lewis largely absent from public explanations to staff or readers.

Journalists, having lost confidence in his leadership, appealed directly to owner Jeff Bezos to intervene, but those requests went unanswered.

The layoffs severely reduced coverage, eliminating entire desks and foreign bureaus, while Bezos later promised a “next chapter” focused on data-driven priorities, NPR has reported.

The paper’s chief financial officer, Jeff D’Onofrio, will take over as acting CEO as the newsroom shrinks to about 500 employees.