In emails to MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab made public late last week, Stallman defended his fellow well-regarded MIT computer scientist Marvin Minsky, accused of sexually assaulting a woman allegedly trafficked by Epstein, writing that it was likely the victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, seemed “entirely willing” to Minsky. People within the free software community had whispered to one another for years, but the emails reignited debate about his position within the community.
Selam Jie Gano, the MIT alumna who first published excerpts from Stallman’s emails, told The Daily Beast of Stallman’s resignation: “It was going to happen eventually. It was obvious that he wasn’t following our community values and guidelines. I hope this motivates a larger conversation.”
The Daily Beast reported Friday that Stallman had also advocated for the legalization of child pornography and the abolishment of age of consent laws for more than 15 years on his personal site, stallman.org, the same blog he used to announce his resignation.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member