Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is stepping down from OpenAI’s board of directors, according to announcements made on Wednesday by both the company and Summers’ office.
His exit follows the release of emails indicating that he continued a cordial relationship with Jeffrey Epstein long after the financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
OpenAI’s board stated that Summers had chosen to resign and that the organisation respected his decision. The board acknowledged his contributions and the value he brought to its work, AP reported.
The news came a day after Summers publicly said he would be scaling back his professional engagements. In a separate statement issued through his spokesperson, Kelly Friendly, he explained that this broader step back also included his departure from OpenAI’s board.
He expressed gratitude for the chance to serve, spoke positively about the company’s future, and said he would continue following its progress.
Summers, who also previously served as Harvard University’s president, had joined OpenAI’s board in November 2023. His appointment was part of the company’s effort to stabilise the organisation and bring back its CEO Sam Altman after its previous board members fired Altman days earlier.
Epstein, who died by suicide several years ago, had been a convicted sex offender known for cultivating ties with prominent and influential individuals which fuelled widespread public anger and conspiracy theories about elites in the United States.