Former UK PM Rishi Sunak Takes Advisory Roles at Microsoft and Anthropic
9 Sources
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Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to advise Microsoft and Anthropic | TechCrunch
Rishi Sunak, who served as the United Kingdom's prime minister from 2022 to 2024, has taken on senior advisory roles as Microsoft and Anthropic, The Guardian reports. Letters from the Parliament's office of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) disclosing Sunak's appointments
[2]
Ex-PM Sunak becomes human Clippy for Microsoft, Anthropic
Rishi Sunak is ready to kick-start his career with a couple of openings in the tech industry, a year after the end of his internship as the prime minister of the world's sixth largest economy. Following in the footsteps of Nick Clegg -- former UK deputy prime minister who took up a role at Meta
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Rishi Sunak hired by Microsoft and Anthropic as paid advisor
During his premiership, Sunak made tech regulation a significant priority, setting up an AI safety summit in 2023. In letters of advice sent to Sunak by Acoba and published on Thursday, his role at Microsoft was described as providing "high- level strategic perspectives" on geopolitical
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Rishi Sunak takes advisory roles with Microsoft and AI firm Anthropic
Former UK prime minister told post-ministerial jobs watchdog roles would not involve lobbying or UK policy influence Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak has been appointed as a senior adviser by the US technology companies Microsoft and Anthropic. Sunak's pair of new jobs emerged on
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Rishi Sunak joins Anthropic, Microsoft as senior advisor
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak attends AI Summit at Bletchley Park, 2023. Image: Rory Arnold / No 10 Downing Street via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Sunak will be donating his salary from the two companies to a charity he co-founded with his wife. Former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has been
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Former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joins Microsoft and Anthropic as an advisor - SiliconANGLE
Former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is moving into the technology world, joining Microsoft Corp. and the artificial intelligence startup Anthropic PBC as a senior advisor. Sunak (pictured), who quit his role as leader of the U.K.'s opposition Conservative Party after suffering defeat in that
[7]
Former British PM Rishi Sunak cleared for part-time advisory roles at Microsoft, Anthropic, with caveats
Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has joined Microsoft and Anthropic as a senior advisor. The UK's Advisory Committee on Business Appointments has set guidelines for his new roles. Sunak will offer strategic perspectives on global trends and technology. His earnings will go to a charity. He
[8]
Rishi Sunak Joins Microsoft, Amazon-Backed Anthropic As Senior Adviser: 'Proceeds From These Roles Will Be Donated In Full' - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)
On Thursday, former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he has taken senior advisory roles with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)-backed Anthropic. Sunak To Advise On Global Strategy, AI Policy In a post shared on LinkedIn, Sunak confirmed that
[9]
Microsoft, Anthropic Hire Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Microsoft and AI firm Anthropic hired former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as an adviser, following his appointment to a similar role at Goldman Sachs. Sunak, who remains a member of Britain's parliament, said in a social media post Thursday that he would be working with the tech companies as a
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Rishi Sunak, the former UK Prime Minister, has been appointed as a senior adviser to tech giants Microsoft and AI firm Anthropic. This move raises questions about potential conflicts of interest and the revolving door between politics and tech industry.
Former UK Prime Minister Joins Tech Giants
Rishi Sunak, who served as the United Kingdom's prime minister from 2022 to 2024, has taken on senior advisory roles at Microsoft and Anthropic, two major players in the technology and artificial intelligence sectors
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. This move comes just a year after Sunak left office, following a trend of former politicians transitioning into the tech industry1
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Source: ET
Roles and Responsibilities
At Microsoft, Sunak will provide "high-level strategic perspectives on macro-economic and geopolitical trends"
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. His role at Anthropic, an AI firm competing with companies like OpenAI and Google, is described as "akin to operating as an internal think tank"3
. Sunak has stated that he will not advise on UK policy matters or engage in lobbying activities4
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Source: Benzinga
Potential Conflicts of Interest
The appointments have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) noted that there are "risks associated with your access to information that may grant Microsoft an unfair advantage"
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. During his tenure as prime minister, Sunak unveiled a £2.5 billion deal with Microsoft for investment in UK data centers and training1
.Restrictions and Safeguards
To address these concerns, Acoba has imposed several restrictions on Sunak's new roles:
- He must not lobby ministers on behalf of the corporations
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. - He is prohibited from advising on bidding for UK contracts
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. - He cannot lobby the government for two years from his last day in ministerial office
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.
Charitable Donation of Salary
Sunak has announced that he will donate his salary from both Microsoft and Anthropic to the Richmond Project, a charity he founded with his wife, Akshata Murty, earlier this year
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. The charity focuses on tackling numeracy problems and promoting social mobility3
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.Related Stories
Broader Context: The Revolving Door
Sunak's appointments highlight the ongoing trend of former politicians taking roles in the tech industry. This "revolving door" between government and Silicon Valley has been active for years, with notable examples including:
- Nick Clegg, former UK Deputy Prime Minister, who served as Meta's president of global affairs until January 2025
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. - Joel Kaplan, George W. Bush's former deputy chief of staff, who joined Meta's policy team
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. - Lisa Monaco, former deputy attorney general under Joe Biden, who is now Microsoft's president of global affairs
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Implications for AI Regulation
Sunak's appointments come at a time of intense debate around AI regulation. During his premiership, Sunak made tech regulation a significant priority, setting up an AI safety summit in 2023
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. His new roles with Microsoft and Anthropic raise questions about the potential influence of former politicians on shaping AI policies and regulations4
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Source: Silicon Republic
References
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