Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary and former Harvard University President, has resigned from the board of OpenAI. The resignation follows the release of an extensive cache of emails by Congress, detailing communications between Summers and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Summers, who also serves as a professor at Harvard University, stepped down days after a House panel released the email exchanges. The Harvard Crimson, the university's student newspaper, reported that Harvard will initiate its own probe into Summers' connections with Epstein. The Crimson also indicated that Summers would be stepping back from other public commitments.
The congressional release included email exchanges that occurred between November 2018 and July 2019. In these communications, Summers reportedly sought advice from Epstein concerning a relationship with a woman he described as a mentee. The House and Senate had voted to release the Epstein files the day prior to Summers' departure from the OpenAI board.
According to the released messages, Summers, who was married at the time, appeared to acknowledge his position of power relative to the woman. Epstein, who referred to himself as Summers' "wing man" early in their exchanges, offered advice on pursuing the relationship. In a March 2019 email to Epstein, Summers wrote, "She must be very confused or maybe wants to cut me off but wants professional connection a lot and so holds to it." Epstein advised Summers to play the "long game" and maintain the woman in a "forced holding pattern."
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges including sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.
