Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has taken a sudden leave from his teaching duties at Harvard University following the emergence of emails revealing his friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Summers, who previously served as Harvard’s president, had initially intended to continue teaching economics classes despite facing backlash over his connections with the late Epstein. However, on Wednesday, he decided to step back not only from teaching but also from his position as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
According to Summers’ spokesperson Steven Goldberg, the decision was made in the best interest of the Center as Harvard conducts a review. His co-teachers will complete the remaining classes for this semester, and he is not scheduled to teach in the upcoming semester. Harvard has been informed of Summers’ leave, but it remains unclear if he will resume teaching in the future. The Harvard Crimson newspaper first reported Summers’ decision to go on leave.
While Harvard did not mention Summers by name, the institution has initiated an investigation following the release of emails depicting his ongoing friendship with Epstein post the latter’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. The once highly esteemed economics expert had faced mounting scrutiny for his decision to remain in his teaching role.
In response to Summers’ controversy, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized his associations, stating that he had aligned himself with the affluent and influential, including a convicted sex offender, and therefore should not hold positions of influence.
Earlier on the same day, Summers also resigned from the board of OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. The board issued a statement acknowledging his decision and expressing appreciation for his contributions. This move followed Summers’ announcement a day prior that he was stepping back from public commitments.
In a separate statement about his departure from OpenAI, Summers expressed gratitude for the opportunity to have served on the board and conveyed excitement for the company’s potential progress. He had joined the OpenAI board in November 2023 as part of efforts to stabilize the nonprofit organization and reinstate Sam Altman as CEO following the dismissal of previous board members who had ousted Altman.
Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019, was notorious for his associations with wealthy and influential individuals, fueling speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding misconduct within American elite circles.
On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill into law compelling the Justice Department to release its files on investigations into Epstein, despite his prior reluctance to do so.
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