Rishi Sunak joins Microsoft, Anthropic as…, warned against…, know all about his new roles
After leaving Goldman Sachs, Rishi Sunak joined Microsoft and AI start-up Anthropic as a paid consultant. Their duties are not limited to UK policy and include global strategic matters. A business watchdog warned him against lobbying ministers on behalf of his companies.
Rishi Sunak joins Microsoft, Anthropic
Rishi Sunak is back in business after losing the country’s last election. The former British prime minister first joined Goldman Sachs, a global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. After leaving the company for months, he has now joined Silicon Valley tech giant Microsoft and artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic as a paid consultant.
Rishi Sunak joins Microsoft, Anthropic
But after joining new firms, the former Prime Minister was warned by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) to avoid lobbying ministers in favor of companies. Acoba is an independent watchdog who oversees the activities of former government figures.
Expressing his satisfaction with working with two large and influential companies, Sunak said that he was “satisfied” to work with two of the world’s leading technology companies, and that he even considered leaving his salary to a charity he founded. “I’m delighted to say that I will be working with two of the world’s leading technology companies, Microsoft and Anthropic. “Microsoft has been driving productivity improvements for decades, and Anthropic is one of the most exciting AI leading laboratories,” Sunak said in a post on LinkedIn.
What is Rishi Sunak’s new role?
At Antropik, Rishi Sunak will advise the company on a range of issues including geopolitical trends, strategy and macroeconomics. The role relates to global strategy issues and is not limited to policies in the UK. Sunak, meanwhile, has been banned from any contact with UK government officials as someone with official links to Anthropic, which is backed by Amazon and Google. The company said the role is internally focused and part-time.
In letters of recommendation to Sunak, ACOBA described his part-time role at Microsoft as providing “high-level strategic perspectives” on macroeconomic and geopolitical trends. The letters also stated that Rishi Sunak would be speaking at the annual Microsoft Summit and that his advice would not include any matters related to UK policy. The letters were posted on ACOBA’s website Thursday by its interim president, Isabel Doverty.
While Sunak was prime minister, he made technology regulation a key priority, convening an AI security summit in 2023.
