Washington Post names ex-Tumblr chief Jeff D'Onofrio as acting CEO
What's the story
Jeff D'Onofrio, the CEO of Tumblr from 2017 to 2022, has been named the acting CEO and publisher of The Washington Post. He will replace Will Lewis, who is stepping down after a controversial term that included mass layoffs this week. D'Onofrio had been serving as CFO at The Post since June last year.
Career background
Limited experience in traditional news media
Despite his new role, D'Onofrio doesn't have a long history in traditional news media. His most notable position before The Post was as the General Manager of Yahoo News when it was still under Verizon ownership. He later moved on to focus entirely on Tumblr, which had a controversial run under his leadership.
Content policy
Controversial decisions at Tumblr
Under D'Onofrio's leadership, Tumblr attempted to revamp its image by banning adult content. However, the move resulted in a 30% drop in traffic for the platform. Yahoo acquired Tumblr for $1.1 billion in 2013 but sold it to WordPress owner Automatic in 2019 for an undisclosed amount, which was rumored to be less than $3 million.