Larry Summers, President Emeritus and Professor of Harvard University, at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
Stefan Wermuth | Bloomberg | getty images
Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said Wednesday he will resign from OpenAI’s board following the release of emails between him and notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Summers announced on Monday that he would step back from all public commitments, but it was not immediately clear whether that included his position at an artificial intelligence startup.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve, excited about the company’s potential and look forward to following their progress,” Summers said in a statement to CNBC.
OpenAI’s board told CNBC that it respects Summers’ decision to resign.
“We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brings to the board,” OpenAI’s board of directors said in a statement.
Details of Summers’ correspondence with Epstein were made public last week when the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released more than 20,000 documents obtained pursuant to a subpoena from Epstein’s estate. Summers has faced intense scrutiny following the release of those files.
Summers joined OpenAI’s board in 2023, at a tumultuous time for the startup. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was briefly ousted from the company, though he returned to the role of chief executive a few days later.
In the wake of “the blip”, as some OpenAI employees call it, Summers was appointed to the board along with Brett Taylor, former co-CEO. sales forceand Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, who was the only member of OpenAI’s previous board who still had a seat.
Axios first reported Summers’ resignation from the board.
President Donald Trump on Friday asked the Justice Department to investigate the relationship between Epstein and Summers, as well as Epstein’s ties to former President Bill Clinton and JPMorgan Chase. and billionaire tech investor Reid Hoffman. Trump is facing renewed pressure over his past friendship with Epstein.
Summers is the former president of Harvard University, and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told CNN on Monday that the university should cut ties with him. He announced his intention to step back from his public commitments later that day, but said he would continue to fulfill his teaching obligations at Harvard.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my wrong decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” Summers said in a statement to CNBC on Monday.
Congress agreed to pass a bipartisan bill on Tuesday ordering the Justice Department to release all of its files on Epstein, clearing the way for Trump to sign it into law.
Watch: House votes overwhelmingly to release more Epstein investigation files, sends bill to Senate
