Larry Summers Resigns from Harvard and OpenAI Amid Fallout Over Epstein Ties

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has stepped down from both Harvard University and the OpenAI board as scrutiny over his past association with Jeffrey Epstein intensifies. The move comes after the U.S. House Oversight Committee released documents revealing personal correspondence between Summers and Epstein, including emails sent after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. While no evidence links Summers to Epstein’s criminal activities, the ongoing revelations have prompted widespread criticism and institutional reviews.

Summers, who previously served as president of Harvard and later as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, announced that he would resign from the OpenAI board and pause his teaching roles. A Harvard spokesperson confirmed that Summers would go on leave while the university investigates all individuals named in the recently released Epstein files. His co-instructors will complete the remaining classes for the semester, and he is not scheduled to return to teaching next term.

The fallout extends beyond Harvard and OpenAI. Several prominent organizations, including the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Center for American Progress, and Spain’s Santander Group, confirmed that Summers has stepped away from advisory positions. The New York Times also stated it will not renew his contributor contract, which began earlier this year.

Summers said he is withdrawing from public commitments to “rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.” His resignation came on the same day President Donald Trump signed a bill requiring the release of the Justice Department’s investigative files on Epstein, a decision Trump had resisted for months. The Epstein scandal has also been politically damaging for Trump, contributing to a drop in his approval ratings.

Harvard’s review will examine all affiliates named in the congressional documents, including Summers’ wife and other current and former university members. Although some details reported by outside outlets remain unverified, the situation has triggered the most significant consequences yet for a high-profile public figure connected to Epstein.