Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary and ex-president of Harvard, resigned from OpenAI's board on Wednesday. His departure comes amid growing backlash over his past connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender. His exit from the top AI company comes just two days after he said he would step back from all public commitments.
His announcement came after thousands of his emails with the convicted financier were made public, sparking intense criticism. "I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress," Summers said in a statement to CNBC after placing his resignation.
Stepped Down in Shame
OpenAI's board released a statement saying it understood and supported Summers' decision to step down. "We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board," the board said in a statement.
The scandal blew up last week after the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released more than 20,000 pages of records from Epstein's estate. The documents revealed a surprisingly friendly relationship between Summers and the infamous predator.
The emails — which continued up until the day before Epstein was arrested in 2019 — show the two men chatting about personal matters, including a woman Summers was interested in. They kept in touch regularly for years after Epstein's 2008 conviction for sexually abusing minors.
Despite growing public outcry about Epstein's exploitation of underage girls, Summers still exchanged personal updates with him and even asked for advice, including help regarding the woman he was pursuing.
As the backlash grew, more organizations began to cut ties with Summers.
In Disgrace
He informed both the Yale Budget Lab and the Hamilton Project that he would be stepping back from their advisory boards. The Center for American Progress cut ties by ending his position, and the Center for Global Development confirmed that he gave up his role as board chair.
The New York Times also chose not to renew his opinion-writing contract, citing the controversial emails. In addition, a webinar that was set to feature Summers this week at the Economic Club of New York was suddenly postponed.
Harvard declined to comment on his status at the university, where he still intends to teach economics.
As the emails spread online, several high-profile Democrats blasted Summers, arguing that staying in close contact with Epstein for so many years showed extremely poor judgment, especially given his well-known criminal history and repeated abuse of underage girls.
House Republicans, who released the documents, said they offer fresh insight into Epstein's relationships with influential political, academic, and media figures. The material included messages between Summers and Epstein that continued into 2019, just months before Epstein died in federal custody.
The situation has even pulled in the White House. President Trump, who has faced questions about his own past ties to Epstein, said his administration would now review Epstein's relationships with Democrats, including Summers and former President Bill Clinton.
