Former Harvard President Larry Summers, also known for serving as Bill Clinton’s Secretary of the Treasury, has stepped down from the board of directors at AI giant OpenAI after emails revealed his long term friendship with convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
Bloomberg reports that Larry Summers announced his resignation from the board of OpenAI on Wednesday. The decision comes on the heels of Summers’ earlier announcement that he would be stepping away from public commitments after U.S. lawmakers released emails between him and Epstein leaving him “deeply ashamed.”
“Larry has decided to resign from the OpenAI Board of Directors, and we respect his decision,” OpenAI said in a statement. “We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board.”
Summers, who joined the OpenAI board in November 2023, said his resignation was “in line” with his previous announcement and expressed remorse for his continued communication with Epstein. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress,” Summers stated.
The former Treasury Secretary’s retreat from the public eye extends beyond his role at OpenAI. Summers will no longer serve as a paid contributor to Bloomberg TV and his contract with the New York Times‘ opinion section will not be renewed. Additionally, he is set to step down from several other positions, including board chair of the Center for Global Development, a fellowship with the Center for American Progress, and a role with the Budget Lab at Yale.
Summers’ appointment to the OpenAI board in 2023 came at a tumultuous time for the artificial intelligence startup, as it had recently reinstated its CEO, Sam Altman, following a brief ousting by the board. As a director, Summers conducted an internal review of Altman’s firing.
The released emails between Summers and Epstein, which were part of a trove of documents from Epstein’s estate, shed light on their friendship, including one exchange regarding public attitudes toward sexual harassment allegations. Summers took full responsibility for his “misguided decision” to continue communicating with Epstein.
Read more at Bloomberg here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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