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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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Borge Brende said he is quitting as CEO and president of the World Economic Forum (WEF) amid scrutiny over his connections to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"I am grateful for the incredible collaboration with my colleagues, partners, and constituents, and I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions," Brende said in a statement on Thursday.
André Hoffmann and Larry Fink, co-chairs of the WEF's board of trustees, said an independent review of Brende's links to financier Epstein had concluded and found "there were no additional concerns beyond what has been previously disclosed."
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The WEF hosts the annual Davos forum, an influential event attended by the global political, financial, and cultural elite. President Donald Trump gave a keynote speech at Davos 2026 in January.
Brende is a former foreign minister of Norway, serving between 2013 and 2017 before he joined the WEF.
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The U.S. Department of Justice has published millions of files related to the investigation of Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York City jail as he awaited trial on charges of multiple child sex crimes.
Epstein continued to communicate with a large number of powerful and well-known figures even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Those individuals and their association with Epstein have come under the spotlight with the release of the files.
Appearing in the files does not signify any criminal wrongdoing.
The WEF announced in early February that it was opening an internal review into Brende to determine his relationship with Epstein.
The DOJ files indicated the two had dined together several times and exchanged messages.
Brende told NRK at the time that he was cooperating with the investigation, that he only met Epstein in business settings and had been unaware of Epstein’s criminal background.
On Wednesday, former Harvard President Larry Summers said he will step down from his remaining academic roles at the university at the end of the academic year.
Summers, who is relinquishing his professorship and resigning from his leadership post at the Harvard Kennedy School, maintained a long‑standing personal relationship with Epstein well after the latter's 2008 conviction.
The fallout prompted Harvard to reopen a broader review of its historical ties to Epstein and led Summers to withdraw from several high‑profile roles as pressure intensified over his continued presence at the university.
Summers will remain on leave until that time and will not return to teaching or advising students.
"I have made the difficult decision to retire from my Harvard professorship at the end of this academic year," Summers said in a statement shared with Newsweek on Wednesday.
"I will always be grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues I have been privileged to teach and work with since coming to Harvard as a graduate student 50 years ago."
Separately, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates admitted to having affairs and apologized for his ties to Epstein during a town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation.
Gates acknowledged he had two affairs with Russian women that Epstein later discovered, but he said they didn't involve Epstein's victims.
The comments by Gates were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Gates said it was a "huge mistake" to spend time with Epstein and bring executives from the foundation into meetings with Epstein.
According to the Journal, he also said: "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit."
"I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made," he continued.
A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation told Newsweek in a statement on Wednesday that Gates "spoke candidly" as he answered several questions submitted by staff on issues, including the release of the Epstein files, during the meeting and "took responsibility for his actions" over his ties to the sex offender.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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