On Wednesday, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced his leave from Harvard University and declared that he will not conduct any classes for the remainder of this semester following the uproar regarding the released emails exchanged with the disreputable sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Earlier that same day, Summers informed that he would be stepping down from the OpenAI board.
Harvard stated on Wednesday it would investigate Summers’ association with Epstein in light of the emails that were disclosed.
Summers previously served as Harvard’s president. He currently leads the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
His spokesperson, Steven Goldberg, remarked in a statement Wednesday evening, “Mr. Summers has chosen to take leave from his position as Director in the Centre as Harvard conducts its review.”
“His colleagues will finish the last three sessions of the courses he was co-teaching this semester, and he is not slated to teach in the next semester,” Goldberg mentioned.
A representative from Harvard stated to The Crimson, the student publication, that Harvard is “reviewing information related to individuals at Harvard mentioned in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to assess what actions may be appropriate.”
On Monday, Summers had proclaimed he would be reducing his public engagements, but affirmed that he would still instruct classes at Harvard. He remained silent regarding his status on the board of directors at the artificial intelligence firm OpenAI until Wednesday.
“I am thankful for the chance I had to contribute, enthusiastic about the possibilities of the organization, and look forward to monitoring their advancements,” Summers stated in a message to CNBC confirming his resignation.
The OpenAI board expressed to CNBC that it honors Summers’ decision to step down.
“We value his numerous contributions and the insights he provided to the Board,” stated OpenAI’s board of directors.
Summers’ communication with Epstein became publicly available last week following the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s release of over 20,000 documents obtained via a subpoena from Epstein’s estate. Summers has been under significant scrutiny since these documents were revealed.
Summers joined the OpenAI board in 2023 during a tumultuous time for the company. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was briefly removed from his position, only to be reinstated days later.
Following what some OpenAI employees refer to as “The Blip,” Summers was appointed to the board alongside Bret Taylor, ex-co-CEO of Salesforce, and Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, who remained the only member from OpenAI’s previous board.
Axios was the first to announce Summers’ resignation from the board.
President Donald Trump on Friday requested the Department of Justice to investigate the connection between Epstein and Summers, in addition to Epstein’s associations with former President Bill Clinton, JPMorgan Chase and billionaire tech investor Reid Hoffman. Trump has been experiencing increased pressure regarding his own historical links with Epstein.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., responded to CNN on Monday stating that Harvard should cut ties with Summers.
He indicated his plan to withdraw from his public engagements later that day, but confirmed he would maintain his teaching responsibilities at Harvard.
“I am profoundly embarrassed by my conduct and acknowledge the distress it has caused. I accept full accountability for my poor decision to keep in touch with Mr. Epstein,” Summers articulated in a statement to CNBC on Monday.
On Tuesday, Congress consented to pass a bipartisan bill directing the Department of Justice to disclose all of its records concerning Epstein, paving the way for Trump to enact it into law.
