Larry Summers steps down from OpenAI board over Epstein ties

“Larry has decided to resign from the OpenAI Board of Directors, and we respect his decision,” OpenAI said in a statement Wednesday. “We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board.”

On Monday, Summers announced he was stepping away from public commitments and said he was “deeply ashamed” of continuing to communicate with Epstein.

Summers, a Harvard University professor and paid contributor to Bloomberg TV, joined OpenAI in November 2023 at a chaotic moment for the closely watched artificial intelligence startup. It had just reinstated its chief executive officer, Sam Altman, after he was briefly ousted by the board.

Summers was a marquee appointment for OpenAI’s restructured board, nominated for his deep ties to Wall Street and Washington, DC. OpenAI soon added several other directors, including ex-Sony Entertainment executive Nicole Seligman and Paul Nakasone, who formerly ran the National Security Agency.

As a director, Summers conducted an internal review of Altman’s firing.

The emails between Summers and Epstein were released by the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as part of a trove of documents from Epstein’s estate. In one exchange, Summers and Epstein discussed the topic of public attitudes toward allegations of sexual harassment.

“I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” Summers wrote in a statement on Monday. The Harvard Crimson reported earlier on his statement.

In 2005, when Summers was president of Harvard University, his comments that innate differences in sex kept women from flourishing in math and science careers drew outrage. He apologized and left the post in 2006.