Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday that he has joined US technology giant Microsoft and artificial intelligence startup Anthropic as a senior adviser. Sunak resigned as leader of the Conservative Party after losing the general election in July last year and continued to serve as a member of the British Parliament.
In a post on social media, Sunak said all proceeds from the posts would be donated to the Richmond Project, the charity he founded with his wife Akshata Murty.
Amazon and Google-backed Anthropic said the in-house-focused part-time advisory role was fully eligible under the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), which oversees rules for new jobs for former ministers and senior civil servants.
Sunak will advise Anthropic on strategy, macroeconomics and geopolitical trends. The position focuses on global strategic matters rather than specific British policies, and Sunak is prohibited from proactively engaging with British government officials on behalf of Anthropic.
At Microsoft, Sunak will provide strategic views on macroeconomic and geopolitical trends. ACOBA interim president Isabel Doverty will speak at the annual Microsoft Summit, according to a letter of advice posted on its website Thursday. Sunak will not advise on any UK policy issues.
The letter said the former British prime minister would be barred from lobbying for the company for two years from his last day as minister, or from using any privileged information from his time in government.