Revolving Door Project Calls On OpenAI, Harvard, and Other Organizations To Cut Ties With Larry Summers

The Revolving Door Project’s Executive Director, Jeff Hauser released the following statement in response to the release of emails between convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers:

“Larry Summers’ relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has been known for some time, but these emails show their relationship goes far beyond professional collaboration and the large donations Epstein provided to Summers’ wife. These communications reveal a close personal bond between the two men, long after Epstein’s conviction for sex crimes against minors. It is well past time for the powerful institutions that work closely with Summers –including OpenAI–to distance themselves from him, and anyone with a close relationship to Epstein.”

Summers currently sits on the Board of Directors of the OpenAI Foundation, the governing body of OpenAI.

Hauser continued: “These emails not only show Summers asking the convicted sex offender for advice pursuing women, but they also reveal what Summers says behind closed doors. As the President of Harvard University, Summers claimed women were innately worse at science, and he presided over a precipitous drop in the hiring of female faculty. But Summers claimed feminists were too quick to infer he was a misogynist. Now, we see that when communicating with Epstein, Summers felt free to express his true opinions, claiming that women are less intelligent than their male counterparts. These opinions are not only objectionable given Summers’ role as a professor, but are all the more concerning given his influence over government and one of the most influential companies on the planet, OpenAI.”

“I have previously warned about Summers’ unethical behavior and ties to unsavory businesses, but these latest revelations ought to be the final straw. It is disgusting that Summers has played such a crucial role in government at one of America’s premier universities for so long. Companies and institutions affiliated with him —including the world’s most influential AI company, and two of the nation’s premier news outlets— ought to demand his immediate resignation,” concluded Hauser.

Summers is still listed as holding an active position with the following companies and organizations:

Harvard University – Charles W. Eliot University Professor

OpenAI – Board of Directors

Bloomberg – Columnist

New York Times – Contributing Opinion Writer

Center for American Progress – Distinguished Senior Fellow

SkillSoft – Board of Directors

Center for Global Development – Chair of the Board of Directors

Peterson Institute for International Economics – Vice Chair of the Board of Directors

Atlas Merchant Capital – Senior Advisor

Jiko – Advisory Committee

Aven – Advisory Board

Palmetto – Advisory Board

Yale Budget Lab – Advisory Board