Larry Summers Resigns From OpenAI Board and Steps Back From Multiple Roles After Release of Epstein Emails

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced he is resigning from the board of OpenAI and stepping away from several other public roles after a batch of emails between him and Jeffrey Epstein was made public last week.

In a statement, Summers said, "In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company and look forward to following their progress."

Late Wednesday, Summers went on leave from his teaching duties at Harvard University. A spokesperson, Steven Goldberg, said Summers "decided it's in the best interest of the Center for him to go on leave from his role as Director as Harvard undertakes its review. His co-teachers will complete the remaining three class sessions of the courses he has been teaching this semester, and he is not scheduled to teach next semester." Harvard confirmed that Summers informed the university of his decision.

Other roles he is relinquishing

Summers also announced he will step back from a number of positions, including roles with Bloomberg News, The New York Times, the Brookings Institution's Hamilton Project, the Center for American Progress, the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the Yale Budget Lab. He joined OpenAI's board in 2023.

What the released emails show

The documents released by members of the House Oversight Committee include dozens of messages exchanged between Summers and Epstein, many dating from the late 2010s. Some of the exchanges are informal in tone; one message appears to include a light personal remark about a woman Summers knew in London, with Epstein offering what reads like unsolicited advice.

There is no evidence in the released material that Summers engaged in illegal conduct.

Context and reaction

Summers served as Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton, was a senior economic adviser during the Obama administration, and is a former president of Harvard University. He had been teaching two courses at Harvard this semester.

Harvard said it is "conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted."

Separately, Congress recently voted to require the Justice Department to release its files related to Epstein. The move, approved overwhelmingly by both the House and Senate, sent the measure to the president's desk. Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting federal sex trafficking charges, had previously pleaded guilty in 2007 to state-level prostitution charges in Florida under a controversial agreement that avoided federal prosecution.

The disclosures have prompted renewed scrutiny of Epstein's relationships with a range of high-profile figures. Summers' resignations and leave reflect the immediate institutional responses as inquiries and reviews proceed.