Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary and a prominent Harvard economist, has resigned from the board of directors at OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT and Sora. The departure, announced on [date], follows the release of thousands of emails from deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which revealed a previously undisclosed closeness between the two men.
Summers, who had served on OpenAI's board since [year], informed the company of his decision in a statement, saying, "In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company and look forward to following their progress."
OpenAI confirmed the resignation in a separate statement to Axios, expressing appreciation for Summers' contributions and the perspective he brought to the board.
The emails, made public by the House oversight committee, include a 2018 exchange in which Epstein referred to himself as Summers' "wing man." According to the Harvard Crimson, the context involved Summers seeking Epstein's advice on a relationship with a woman he was mentoring, a situation that raised ethical concerns given Summers' marital status and academic position.
In the correspondence, Summers expressed uncertainty about the woman's interest, to which Epstein responded, "she is doomed to be with you." Later exchanges show Summers discussing the relationship's complexities, with Epstein replying, "She's already begining [sic] to sound needy 🙂 nice."
Summers, in a statement to the Crimson, acknowledged his association with Epstein as a "major error of judgement," adding, "I have great regrets in my life."
The resignation adds to the scrutiny of OpenAI's leadership and its ties to figures with controversial backgrounds. While Summers is not the first investor or board member to face questions over Epstein connections, his role was particularly notable given his stature in economic policy and academia.
OpenAI, which has faced its own governance challenges in recent months, has not commented further on the resignation beyond the initial statement. The company continues to develop and deploy AI technologies, including the widely used ChatGPT and the video generation model Sora.
As the House committee's release of Epstein's emails continues to reverberate, the episode underscores the broader implications for public figures and corporate boards when past associations come to light.