This must sting.
Kimbal Musk, Elon Musk’s brother, has stepped down from the board of the Burning Man festival after his ties to Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
Kimbal, 53, has been part of the Burning Man board since 2021 but faced backlash last week when documents were released by the Justice Department linking him to the convicted sex offender.
The Justice Department unveiled almost 3 million pages of documents, where Kimbal is referenced 140 times in correspondence between Epstein and his circle.
An open letter from the Burning Man community at Remove Kimbal.org pointed out that his association with Epstein was at odds with the group’s principles, urging the board for more transparency regarding his role.
“While inclusion in Epstein’s files doesn’t prove criminal activity, the extent of connections to convicted sex offenders raises critical concerns about the judgment and values that the Burning Man community should consider,” the letter stated.
Before the document release, Burning Man’s CEO Marian Goodell informed that Kimbal was no longer with the board. She noted in an email that Kimbal decided not to continue his role after a conversation between them nearly two weeks prior. This communication also came after an artist raised concerns about Kimbal’s connection with Epstein and requested that their work be excluded from festival funding.
“We do not publicly announce board changes. Kimbal represented Elon’s endowment in 2021, and he never appeared on the website by choice. Now, he isn’t a member anymore,” Goodell added.
The Burning Man festival, a community-oriented event in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, is set to commence in late August.
