Former UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is now in the tech world advising Microsoft and Anthropic

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According to the BBC, Rishi Sunak took on advisory roles with Microsoft and Anthropic on October 9, 2025. He’ll be working part-time, offering strategic guidance to both companies, but won’t be in a management position.

Rishi Sunak was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 2022 to July 2024. He led the Conservative Party until the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, won the election.

Microsoft and Anthropic have both announced the appointments, and they’ve received approval from the UK’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

ACOBA prohibited Sunak from lobbying the UK government for two years on behalf of either company. He was also barred from using any confidential government information and prevented from offering advice on UK policy or contracts for at least two years.

Even though Sunak remains an MP for Richmond and Northallerton, holding both positions could still draw attention and potential criticism.

What His Roles Actually Involve

Sunak won’t be working full-time for either company. He’ll join certain meetings and calls to offer guidance on strategy, but he won’t be handling day-to-day tasks or running the companies.

During a visit to Microsoft, Prime Minister Sunak will share his insights on the global economy, international affairs, and the future of AI and digital technology. He’s expected to help Microsoft anticipate how governments might regulate these new technologies in the coming years.

At Anthropic, he’ll primarily be a strategic advisor, concentrating on international AI safety, new developments, and how AI is being regulated around the world, beyond the UK. Similar to his work with Microsoft, this position won’t involve day-to-day company management – it’s purely an advisory role.

While serving as Prime Minister, Sunak launched the UK’s AI Safety Institute and led the first global AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in November 2023. This summit produced the ‘Bletchley Declaration,’ a significant agreement focused on developing artificial intelligence safely. His experience with these initiatives gives him valuable knowledge that both companies would likely want to benefit from.

Concerns over influence and credibility

The recent appointments have led to concerns that companies such as Microsoft and Anthropic might be trying to use Rishi Sunak’s connections to gain favor with the government, instead of genuinely seeking his skills and knowledge.

This is especially important considering Microsoft’s recent $30 billion investment in UK AI infrastructure, showing their strong focus on how AI will be regulated and where future investments will be made.

Concerns have also been raised about whether Rishi Sunak is suitable for these prominent advisory roles. In April 2022, The Independent reported that his wife, Akshata Murty – the daughter of Indian tech billionaire N.R. Narayana Murthy – had used a tax arrangement allowing her to avoid paying UK tax on some of her foreign income while living at Downing Street, potentially saving up to £2.1 million each year.

It was later revealed that Rishi Sunak had a U.S. green card until October 2021, even while he was Chancellor of the Exchequer. This has led to scrutiny of his residency status and tax responsibilities during that time.

Facing criticism, Murty decided to pay UK taxes on all her income, but she continued to use a legal status that exempted her from UK inheritance tax. Although these issues aren’t directly connected to Sunak’s new roles, they could still affect how the public views him, as his past record isn’t completely without problems.

Legacy, Motives, and Public Perception

This decision will likely be seen in different ways – some will applaud it as clever and proactive, while others might consider it a self-interested move. Even with past political difficulties and controversies, Sunak could be focused on improving how the public views him.

He plans to give all of his income from his positions at Microsoft and Anthropic to The Richmond Project, a charity he and his wife are starting in February 2025. The charity will help children who find math difficult, and this donation demonstrates his commitment to giving back.

This move also ensures he remains a public figure with international influence, fitting a growing pattern of politicians moving into the tech industry. For example, Nick Clegg, who previously served as the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister, joined Meta and became a top policy executive in 2022. Similarly, Mick Mulvaney, formerly the White House Budget Director, now works with a data management company.

Although these cases aren’t as prominent as Rishi Sunak’s recent appointments, they demonstrate a continuing pattern—a ‘revolving door’ effect where politicians take powerful positions in the tech industry after leaving government.

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2025-10-11 15:40