Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has joined Microsoft and artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a senior adviser to both organisations.
Sunak announced the dual advisory roles on Thursday, with all proceeds donated to The Richmond Project, a charity he founded with his wife Akshata Murty to build confidence with everyday numbers across the UK, reports Reuters.
The former Conservative Party leader, who stepped down following July’s general election defeat, continues serving as member of parliament for Richmond and Northallerton whilst taking on the technology advisory positions.
At Anthropic, the Amazon and Google-backed AI startup, Sunak will advise on strategy, macroeconomic and geopolitical trends in a part-time role. The position focuses on global strategic matters rather than UK-specific policy, and Sunak is prohibited from initiating contact with UK government officials on behalf of the company.
Microsoft will receive strategic perspectives on macroeconomic and geopolitical trends from Sunak, who is scheduled to speak at the technology giant’s annual summit. The role strictly prohibits advising on any UK policy matters.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, which oversees rules on new jobs for former ministers and senior civil servants, approved both positions with conditions. Sunak cannot lobby for either firm for two years from his last day in ministerial office, nor draw on any privileged information from his time in government.
The appointments follow Sunak’s July return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role. He previously worked at the Wall Street bank as an analyst in the early 2000s before joining hedge funds and eventually entering politics.
In his LinkedIn announcement, Sunak described his belief that technology will transform society and his desire to help both companies ensure the technological shift benefits everyone. He characterised the coming changes as a technological revolution with impacts as profound as the industrial revolution, felt more quickly.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment, reported Reuters.
