The Dominoes in Larry Summers' World Keep Falling

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is resigning from OpenAI's board of directors, the ChatGPT maker and his office said Wednesday. His departure comes after the release of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008, per the AP. "Larry has decided to resign from the OpenAI [board], and we respect his decision," the group said in a statement. "We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought."

The announcement came one day after Summers said he's stepping back from public commitments. "I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI," Summers said in a separate statement issued by his spokesperson. "I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress." Summers joined the OpenAI board in November 2023, part of an effort to restore stability at the nonprofit and bring back its CEO, Sam Altman, after its previous board members had fired Altman days earlier.