Larry Summers Steps Down From OpenAI Board Over Jeffrey Epstein Ties
OpenAI said in a statement that they respect Summers' decision and appreciate his contributions and perspective.
Larry Summers, former US treasury secretary, will leave the board of ChatGPT parent OpenAI after controversy surrounding his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
OpenAI said in a statement on Wednesday they respect Summers' decision and appreciate his contributions and perspective. Summers announced he was stepping away from public commitments and said he was “deeply ashamed” of continuing to communicate with Epstein.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress,” Summers said in a statement to a US media network.
The former Harvard University president has stepped back from his public duties after the release of the Epstein files revealed years of correspondence between him and the disgraced financier.
The newly released emails, published last week, showed extensive exchanges between Summers and Jeffrey Epstein including messages in which Summers made sexist remarks and even sought romantic advice from the convicted sex offender in 2019. The revelations have intensified scrutiny of his long-running association with Epstein.
In his first statement since the emails surfaced, Summers said he was “deeply ashamed.”
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” he said.
Summers added that while he will continue teaching, he will withdraw from public engagements “as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.”
Harvard University said it will undertake a new investigation into its ties to Jeffrey Epstein. “The university 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,” a spokesperson said in a statement, Bloomberg reported.
Harvard disclosed a range of connections to Epstein in a 2020 report. The university’s latest probe was reported earlier by the Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper.
