Larry Summers resigns from OpenAI board

Summers–Epstein Emails and Resignation

• Thread centers on newly released emails showing Summers seeking Epstein’s advice on how to turn a mentor–mentee relationship with a much younger woman into sex, explicitly strategizing around his power and her dependence.
• Many describe the exchanges as predatory rather than merely “cringe,” emphasizing the professional context (she was presenting research, not a social acquaintance) and the “forced holding pattern” dynamic.
• Continued contact with Epstein long after his conviction is widely viewed as a major red flag; some argue this alone should be disqualifying from elite roles.

Media, Harvard, and Accountability

• People note Harvard’s belated investigation and Summers’ board resignations as driven by exposure, not ethics: “eleventh commandment: don’t get caught.”
• Several criticize major outlets, especially for euphemistic coverage that downplays the sexual coercion angle; one cites a reporter who allegedly warned Epstein a colleague was “digging around.”
• Broader anger at two-tier justice: elites shielded by institutions and law enforcement while ordinary people face real consequences.

Summers’ Broader Record and Character

• Long-standing grievances resurface: repeal of Glass–Steagall, opposition to financial regulation, support for free trade and Russia’s “shock therapy,” and a disastrous Harvard debt deal.
• The “toxic waste to poor countries” memo splits the thread: some see obvious deadpan satire / reductio ad absurdum, others see it as sincere or “kidding on the square” consistent with his record.
• His past remarks on women’s “intrinsic aptitude” in science are read as misogynistic and echoed in the Epstein emails; many question how someone perceived as mediocre and insecure rose so high.

Epstein as Power Broker and Elite Network

• Emails paint Epstein as a connector between politicians, billionaires, academics, and foreign officials, arranging meetings and funding—seen by some as evidence of a blackmail-based power network that cuts across parties.
• Others caution against over-reading this as espionage, suggesting a mix of con-man behavior, perversion, and status-obsessed elites.

OpenAI and Tech Governance

• Many are more shocked to learn Summers was on OpenAI’s board at all than by his departure, comparing it to other notorious political figures on tech/biotech boards.
• Explanations given: he brings establishment economic credibility and access for massive government-backed financing, especially post–board-coup.