Larry Summers resigns from OpenAI board after Epstein emails released

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is resigning from the OpenAI board, a week after a series of emails between him and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were made public.

Summers said in a statement to the BBC that he was “grateful for the opportunity to serve the company, excited about its potential and looking forward to following their progress”.

Summers, a former president of Harvard University, said on Monday that he would abandon his public commitment to his relationship with Epstein.

Recently released emails show that Summers communicated with Epstein until the day before Epstein was arrested in 2019 on suspicion of sex trafficking of minors.

The artificial intelligence company said in a statement that it respects Summers’ decision to resign.

“We are grateful for his many contributions and the perspective he brings to the board,” OpenAI said.

The news comes after the House and Senate on Tuesday agreed to pass a measure requiring the U.S. Department of Justice to release documents related to Epstein.

The measure will then go to U.S. President Donald Trump for approval. He said he changed his stance on the issue after facing pushback from supporters and said he planned to sign the bill.

A batch of Epstein-related emails released by the House Oversight Committee last week named a number of prominent figures in the financier’s former circle but did not suggest any legal wrongdoing by those figures.

The emails show that Summers and Epstein often dined together and that Epstein frequently sought to connect Summers to prominent figures around the world.

After the emails were shared with the public, Summers said he “takes full responsibility for my poor decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”

He added that he hoped to “rebuild trust and repair relationships with those closest to him.”

Summers has held senior positions under two Democratic presidents; as Treasury secretary under Bill Clinton and director of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama.

He led Harvard University from 2001 to 2006, where he remains a professor. When he announced earlier Monday that he was abandoning his public commitment, he said he would continue to honor his teaching commitments.

After Summers announced the news on Monday, the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington where Summers serves as a senior fellow, confirmed that Summers is no longer affiliated with the organization.

Summers joined the board of OpenAI (creator of ChatGPT) in 2023 after a failed attempt to oust CEO Sam Altman.