Economist Larry Summers has announced his resignation from his teaching and faculty positions at Harvard University at the end of the current academic year. This decision comes after an investigation was launched into Summers and several other scholars over their ties to Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.
Summers will also step back from his role as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton confirmed that Summers’ resignation was accepted in connection with the ongoing review of documents related to Epstein that were recently released by the government.
The depth of Summers’s relationship with Epstein was revealed through a trove of emails released by a congressional committee last November. In some of these emails, Summers sought advice from Epstein regarding a relationship with a younger woman he described as a mentee. Epstein passed away while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking in 2019.
Summers had previously resigned from his position on the board of OpenAI. In a statement following the announcement of his resignation from teaching, he expressed that the decision was difficult but looked forward to engaging in research, analysis, and commentary on global economic issues.
This resignation comes in the wake of Nobel laureate Richard Axel also stepping down from his position as co-director of Columbia University’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute due to his connections with Epstein.
As this story continues to develop, more updates may follow. It is crucial to stand up for science and support reputable journalism like Scientific American to ensure the dissemination of impactful stories that shape our understanding of the world.
