The MIT Media Lab is a prestigious research effort that is part of the Architecture Machine Group in the university’s architecture group. In the world of innovation, they are considered paragons of research and design. Their annual endowment is about $50 million.
However, they had a dirty little secret underneath all of the snobbery and erudition. They were taking money from billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, the recently convicted child sex offender and child prostitution ring “founder.”
It wasn’t just a matter of taking Epstein’s money, but covering it up by labeling the donations as anonymous. The fact that Epstein was under investigation prevented him from being considered as a viable donor to the media lab. Nevertheless, his donations continued to fund programs.
Two Directors Resign
Investigative reporting on the part of New Yorker magazine revealed that the MIT Media Lab’s two directors, Ito and Cohen took money from Epstein through intermediaries. In one exchange, Cohen wrote to Ito in response to a $2 million Epstein gift:
“For gift recording purposes, we will not be mentioning Jeffrey’s name as the impetus for this gift. I’ve let 2 folks in central development who need to know know.”
As a result of the investigation, Joi Ito and Peter Cohen have been removed through “resignation” and administrative leave. Cohen, who had moved on to head Brown University’s director of development for computer science and data initiatives was placed on administrative leave by Brown:
“We are engaged in a review of available information regarding Mr. Cohen in the context of Brown University policies, core values and the University’s commitment to treat employees fairly. Mr. Cohen is on administrative leave pending this review.”
Ito admitted in an earlier statement that they had received funds from Epstein-run foundations. Said Ito:
“I take full responsibility for my error in judgment. I am deeply sorry to the survivors, to the MIT Media Lab, and to the MIT community for bringing such a person into our network.”
He eventually followed it up with a second statement:
“After giving the matter a great deal of thought over the past several days and weeks, I think that it is best that I resign as director of the media lab and as a professor and employee of the Institute, effective immediately.”
Dirty Money
The acceptance of “dirty money” and essentially laundering it through intermediaries and then declaring the funds as an anonymous donation goes beyond an error in judgment and speaks to a lack of ethics. The two directors of the MIT Media Lab knew that Jeffrey Epstein was under suspicion and had been since 2005 for abusing his daughter and then an ever-expanding series of revelations.
Epstein “stood” for everything the university and certainly society abhorred. Yet, Epstein was wealthy and expanded the media lab’s budget. MIT Media Lab had an opportunity to take significant donations and launder them. No one would have been the wiser. While Epstein and his rich associates were off on a private island having sexual relations with underaged girls, his money was being used to buy him credibility and status. Let me be clear, the cable lab people knew exactly what they were doing – and that it was wrong.
As for why, the need was obvious. Universities and nonprofits need money. Epstein had it. There was no ethical filter to say that it was wrong, it was poor judgment.
It is easy to rationalize taking the dirty money. It happens all of the time. The rationalization was a simple “shrug and wink.” They knew where the money was coming from, but they liked what it could buy.
Giving anonymously is often considered the highest form of giving, but this scandal seems to demand that perhaps there are degrees of anonymity that need to be further explored. Some underaged girl, somewhere (maybe many of them) paid the price for the MIT Media Lab.
