Former US Treasury Secretary and Harvard President Larry Summers has also resigned from the board of directors of AI group OpenAI. The company announced that Summers was resigning from his position after previously publishing emails about Summers’ contact with a sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has suggested. Therefore, Summers maintained friendly relations with Epstein for a long time after he admitted to inciting minors to engage in prostitution in 2008.
Summers had announced on Monday that he was withdrawing from his public engagements. This also includes his role on the board of directors OpenAI he said in a separate statement. The reason given was that he wanted to “rebuild trust and rebuild relationships with those closest to him.”
Harvard wants to investigate ties to Epstein
Summers took the position in November 2023. At that time, OpenAI was seeking stability after OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman was recently unexpectedly fired. The company now writes that it respects Summers’ decision and thanks him for his work.
Harvard University, in turn, announced a new investigation into its ties to Epstein shortly after the resignation was announced. Information about people close to the university who appeared in recently published documents regarding the Epstein case is currently being reviewed, he said. They want to clarify “what steps may be required”. Former President Summers was not named.
On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives voted to release the so-called Epstein files after months of delays. Moments later, the Senate agreed, leaving only the US President remaining Donald Trump must add his signature. Due to his close relationship with the sex offender who died in 2019, there have been various debates regarding the publication of the files for months. Last week, Democratic members of Congress released emails suggesting Trump may have known about Epstein’s crimes. Trump called the email a “hoax” from the Democratic Party.
