Larry Summers Resigns from OpenAI Board Amid Epstein-Related Controversy

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced his resignation from the OpenAI board on Wednesday, days after congressional documents exposed his close association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Summers, who also served as Harvard University's president, declared on Monday that he would withdraw from all public roles to "rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me."

The release of correspondence between Summers and Epstein by the U.S. House Oversight Committee has sparked significant scrutiny. In response, Harvard University confirmed plans to initiate a fresh investigation into Summers' connections with Epstein, as reported by the university's newspaper.

In a statement, OpenAI's board of directors expressed respect for Summers' decision and appreciation for his contributions, saying, "Larry has decided to resign from the OpenAI Board of Directors, and we respect his decision. We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board."

This development followed a nearly unanimous vote by the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress to disclose Department of Justice files related to Epstein, a move initially resisted by then-President Donald Trump. Recently, Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate his and other Democratic figures' links to Epstein amid attempts to deflect attention from his own associations with the disgraced financier. Trump has consistently denied involvement in Epstein's crimes.

The Epstein affair has been a persistent political challenge, partly contributing to President Trump’s declining approval ratings, which hit a new low of 38% this week according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. Only 20% of Americans approve of his handling of the issue. Among his supporters, there is widespread belief that his administration has obscured Epstein’s connections to powerful individuals and the details surrounding Epstein’s 2019 death in a Manhattan jail, officially ruled a suicide.

Summers, a Democrat, previously held key government positions including Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton and National Economic Council Director under President Barack Obama. He joined the OpenAI board in late 2023 following a brief upheaval involving the company’s CEO Sam Altman.

Beyond OpenAI, Summers sits on the board of the education technology company Skillsoft since 2021 and leads the international advisory board for Santander Bank.