Jeffrey Epstein Files Causes Surge of CEOs to Step Down Amid Nationwide Backlash

A slew of high-profile CEOs and business leaders have stepped down or been replaced, largely due to their connections to late child predator Jeffrey Epstein, following their exposure in the latest Department of Justice document dump of files.

Billionaire Tom Pritzker announced his retirement Monday, February 17, as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels after emails between him and Epstein were revealed — making him the latest high-profile figure to fall in the wake of the scandal.

He cited "terrible judgment" in maintaining contact with Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell after the latest file release detailed the depth of their association.

"Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret," Pritzker said.

He added that he "exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner."

In one email exchange from 2018, Epstein asked Pritzker to help his then-girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, arrange a trip to Southeast Asia. Pritzker agreed, and asked what she planned to do there.

Shuliak responded: "Going to try to find a new girlfriend for Jeffrey."

Pritzker, the cousin of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, replied with a smiley-face emoji and said "May the Force be with you."

Among the other high-profile departures was Brad Karp, who resigned as chairman of elite law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison on February 4. He described the coverage of his exchanges with Epstein — which included thanking the disgraced financier for a "once in a lifetime" evening — as a "distraction."

Hedge fund honcho Leon Black stepped down as CEO of Apollo Global Management in early 2021. An independent review found he paid Epstein $158 million for financial advice between 2012 and 2017.

Barclays CEO Jes Staley resigned in November 2021 following a U.K. regulatory probe into his relationship with Epstein. In 2025, he was permanently banned from holding senior leadership roles in the U.K. financial industry.

More recently, Kathy Ruemmler resigned as chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs (effective June 2026) after emails showed her receiving luxury gifts from Epstein and referring to him as "Uncle Jeffrey."

Casey Wasserman announced the sale of his mega-watt Hollywood talent agency and stepped back from day-to-day control in February after his name appeared in the files.

Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary and previous Harvard president, resigned from the board of OpenAI and other roles in late 2025 after emails revealed him seeking "romantic advice" from Epstein.

Jack Lang resigned as head of the Arab World Institute in Paris in February following allegations of past financial links to Epstein.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman and CEO of Dubai logistics conglomerate DP World, resigned effective immediately on February 13 after the release of various email exchanges with Epstein of a sexual nature from 2015, which led major international partners — including Canada’s La Caisse pension fund and the U.K.’s British International Investment — to suspend future deals with the company.

Former Prince Andrew was deemed a disgrace and ripped of his royal duties in November 2019 amid intense scrutiny over his friendship with Epstein. In February 2026, Thames Valley Police confirmed they are assessing new, possibly criminal allegations of his ties to Epstein.

Yale University computer science professor and prominent conservative commentator David Gelernter was fired by the prestigious Ivy League school in February after emails referencing post-conviction contact with Epstein resurfaced.

Physicist Lee Smolin, founding member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, said he was going to "pause his working relationship" with the institute and the University of Waterloo on February 11 after emails contradicted his claims that he had ceased contact with Epstein after 2008.

Norweigian ambassador to Jordan and Iraq Mona Juul resigned on February 9, citing a "serious failure of judgment" in her past ties to Epstein.

Morgan McSweeney, chief-of-staff to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, resigned on February 8, taking responsibility for encouraging the prime minister to appoint Peter Mandelson as the U.K.’s ambassador to the U.S. in 2024, despite Mandelson's known ties to Epstein.

Mandelson was dismissed as the U.K.'s ambassador to the U.S. in September 2025 after the release of supportive messages to Epstein following his conviction.

Jack Lang, French politician and head of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, resigned on February 6 after disclosures detailed years of correspondence with Epstein.

Joanna Rubinstein, a biologist and president of the UN refugee agency Sweden for UNHCR, resigned in early February after emails busted her for a 2012 visit to Epstein’s private island with her family.

Thorbjørn Jagland, former prime minister of Norway and former secretary general of the Council of Europe, was charged in February with gross corruption in connection with matters tied to Epstein.

Joi Ito resigned as director of the MIT Media Lab in September 2019 after reports revealed he had accepted funding from Epstein.

Even Kimbal Musk, younger brother of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, resigned from the board of the Burning Man Project in February following emails showing Epstein had helped arrange a personal relationship for him in 2012 and 2013.

Despite all the high profile resignations, one person, Donald Trump, remains in the highest office in the land despite appearing in the Epstein files a million times, according to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).

Raskin's million figure refers to the unredacted database viewed by lawmakers, suggesting that over 96 percent of these mentions may have been blacked out in public releases.

Despite Trump’s dismissals of Epstein as someone he wasn't close with or as a "Democratic hoax," reports indicate significant anger within his MAGA base. A February poll found that 52 percent of Americans believe Trump is trying to cover up Epstein’s crimes, with only 24 percent approving of his handling of the matter.