Larry Summers has stepped down from the board of directors of OpenAI and is also ceasing his teaching activities at Harvard University. This follows the public disclosure last week by a House committee of correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “In light of my decision to step away from public life, I have also decided to resign from the board of directors of OpenAI,” Summers said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited by the company’s potential, and I look forward to watching their continued development.” On Wednesday, a representative for Santander, the global Spanish bank, confirmed to CNN that he has also relinquished his position as a member of the financial institution’s international advisory board. The publication of the letters last week revealed an extensive personal correspondence between the two, which included misogynistic remarks from Summers and Epstein’s requests for advice on personal matters. “Larry has made the decision to step down from the OpenAI Board of Directors, and we respect this choice,” read a press release from the OpenAI Board of Directors. “We deeply value his significant contributions and the insights he brought to the Board.” Summers has previously held key positions: Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton, head of the National Economic Council under Barack Obama, and President of Harvard University. Summers resigned as Harvard’s president in 2006 under public pressure following a series of scandals. On Wednesday, a Harvard representative informed CNN that Summers would not complete the current semester as a university lecturer. The student newspaper The Crimson reported, based on a statement from his representative, that Summers would also not teach classes next semester. Furthermore, he will immediately go on leave from his leadership position as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, which he has headed since 2011, according to The Crimson. CNN reached out to Summers for comment. The Crimson reported earlier this week that Harvard had initiated an internal investigation into Summers’ ties with Epstein. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a former Harvard lecturer, called on the university to sever all ties with Summers. Summers joined the board of directors of the artificial intelligence development company in 2023, precisely at the time when OpenAI reinstated Sam Altman as CEO just days after the previous board had removed him.
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