Yann LeCun comments on journal board resignation

Yann LeCun said in a May 20 post on X that “nearly the entire editorial board” of the *Journal of Approximation Theory* had resigned, pointing readers to an earlier report on the dispute. LeCun did not describe himself as a participant in the matter. His post drew fresh attention to a resignation that had already been laid out publicly by former editors and covered by Retraction Watch. The underlying dispute dates to April 3, when a declaration signed by former editors said Elsevier had made decisions in 2025 that an “overwhelming majority” of the journal’s editors found “deeply problematic.” The signatories said talks with the publisher failed and that “all but a handful” of board members resigned. ### What exactly did LeCun point to? LeCun’s May 20 X post pointed to the mass resignation from the *Journal of Approximation Theory* and emphasized the scale of the departure, according to the social post cited in the source brief. (retractionwatch.com) The resignation itself was not new on May 20; it had been circulating in mathematics channels since early April and was reported by Retraction Watch on April 16. (people.math.osu.edu) Retraction Watch reported that 45 of 48 editorial-board members resigned earlier in April. That outlet said the walkout followed years of tension between editors and the publisher and quoted former editor-in-chief Paul Nevai describing increased oversight and heavier publisher involvement in editorial decisions. (retractionwatch.com) ### What did the resigning editors say went wrong? The April 3 declaration said Elsevier made “several decisions” in 2025 that editors believed were likely to harm the journal’s future. The statement did not list those decisions in detail, but it said efforts to resolve the concerns with the publisher were unsuccessful. Paul Nevai, who Retraction Watch said served as editor-in-chief from 1990 until December 2025, told the outlet that the publisher increased oversight, became heavily involved in editorial decisions and tried to speed up article production. (retractionwatch.com) Retraction Watch attributed those claims to Nevai. ### How did Elsevier respond? (people.math.osu.edu) Elsevier told Retraction Watch that publisher representatives oversee portfolios of journals and work with editors, authors and research communities on development and long-term operations. The company said editorial rotation and succession are important to a journal’s long-term health and that transitions are typically managed with existing editors over time. (retractionwatch.com) ScienceDirect still carries an editorial-board page for the *Journal of Approximation Theory*, indicating the title remains active on Elsevier’s platform. The resigning editors, however, said in their declaration that “the journal, as we knew it, has ceased to exist,” while adding that they remained committed to preserving its standards and traditions. (retractionwatch.com) ### Where was the resignation first documented? NA Digest, a long-running numerical analysis bulletin edited at Cornell, carried the declaration in its April 10 issue. The item reproduced the April 3 statement from Nevai and listed dozens of signatories, including well-known mathematicians in approximation theory and related fields. A separate page maintained by Nevai at Ohio State also posts the declaration and the names of the signatories. (sciencedirect.com) That page says the journal was founded in 1968 and repeats the editors’ view that Elsevier’s decisions made the existing journal untenable. ### What can readers watch next? Elsevier’s next visible step will be whether it rebuilds the *Journal of Approximation Theory* editorial board on ScienceDirect. (na-digest.coecis.cornell.edu) The former editors’ public declaration remains available through Nevai’s page and the April 10 NA Digest issue, which identify the signatories and date the resignation statement to April 3, 2026. (sciencedirect.com) (people.math.osu.edu)