Larry Summers Resigns from OpenAI Amid Epstein Scandal Fallout
Former US Treasury Secretary and Harvard University president Larry Summers has stepped down as a board member of AI company OpenAI, following the release of thousands of emails between him and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The documents, made public by the House Oversight Committee, revealed a long-standing correspondence between the two men dating back to 2019, despite Epstein's guilty plea on child prostitution charges.
In a statement, Summers acknowledged his role in maintaining contact with Epstein and expressed "deeply ashamed" of his actions. He cited a broader decision to withdraw from public-facing roles as the reason for his resignation from OpenAI's board. The move comes after Summers was ousted from other prominent organizations, including the Center for American Progress, where he had been working on an economic agenda for the next Democratic administration.
Harvard University has launched an internal review of Summers' actions at the university following the release of the Epstein emails. The university confirmed that it would be examining all university affiliates named in the documents. Summers' association with these organizations is also coming to an end, including his fellowships with the New York Times, Bloomberg, and Yale University's Budget Lab.
The swift fallout from the Epstein scandal continues to affect prominent figures in liberal politics, as Summers' departure from OpenAI underscores the consequences of maintaining ties to individuals accused of wrongdoing.
Former US Treasury Secretary and Harvard University president Larry Summers has stepped down as a board member of AI company OpenAI, following the release of thousands of emails between him and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The documents, made public by the House Oversight Committee, revealed a long-standing correspondence between the two men dating back to 2019, despite Epstein's guilty plea on child prostitution charges.
In a statement, Summers acknowledged his role in maintaining contact with Epstein and expressed "deeply ashamed" of his actions. He cited a broader decision to withdraw from public-facing roles as the reason for his resignation from OpenAI's board. The move comes after Summers was ousted from other prominent organizations, including the Center for American Progress, where he had been working on an economic agenda for the next Democratic administration.
Harvard University has launched an internal review of Summers' actions at the university following the release of the Epstein emails. The university confirmed that it would be examining all university affiliates named in the documents. Summers' association with these organizations is also coming to an end, including his fellowships with the New York Times, Bloomberg, and Yale University's Budget Lab.
The swift fallout from the Epstein scandal continues to affect prominent figures in liberal politics, as Summers' departure from OpenAI underscores the consequences of maintaining ties to individuals accused of wrongdoing.
. Larry Summers thinks he can just sweep this under the rug and move on, but I guess that's what happens when you're more worried about your reputation than doing the right thing.
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so what's up with these ppl? Larry Summers is like a poster child for "who you know" being more important than doing the right thing. Like, I get that we all make mistakes, but this Epstein situation is straight-up gross and he's profiting off of it too 
Anyway, it's about time someone took responsibility for their actions, even if it is a bit late in the game...
... its funny cuz ppl are all like "summers should've known better" but we're all human, we all make mistakes 
... still, i think his resignation from openai is legit and he shouldn't be unfairly judged on this one 
. I mean, thousands of emails between him and Epstein? That's some shady stuff right there 
. It's wild that Summers thought he could just maintain contact with Epstein despite the whole child prostitution thing going down 
. And now that it's all come out, Summers is stepping down from some pretty big organizations, which I think is the right call 
. But still, it's crazy how fast this has blown up 
. It just goes to show you how much scrutiny these people are under when they're in positions of power 
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But seriously, it's a good move to get to the bottom of things. And I guess this whole thing does serve as a reminder that our public figures aren't always perfect 
. They can still make mistakes, and we need to hold them accountable 
. What do you guys think? 
can you even imagine having to face all these people at the next harvard reunion with this on your record? 
also gotta feel for openai they're like "hey we were just trying to make ai better" and then larry summers comes along and ruins it for them 
anyway i guess this is what happens when you try to keep secrets hidden in the dark web 
. I mean, dude knew better than to associate himself with Epstein and still chose to keep in touch? That's some next-level level of bad judgment 
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. Can't say I blame them for kicking him off the board though, you don't want someone with ties to a convicted sex offender representing your company 
. Harvard's review is gonna be super interesting too, I wonder what other skeletons they'll find in Summers' closet 
. And it's funny how this all came out now, like he was just waiting for the perfect storm 
.
. But on the other hand, he did take responsibility for his actions, so that's gotta count for something, right? 
. I'm just gonna sit back and watch this drama unfold 
And now he's stepping down from OpenAI and other organizations... yeah, good call, I guess. 
But it just goes to show how far some people will go to get ahead, even if it means compromising their values or getting caught up in a scandal. 