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UK Ex-PM Sunak Accepts Advisory Roles at Microsoft and Anthropic

 BY RISHI

Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken up part-time, senior advisory roles at two leading technology firms — Microsoft and the AI startup Anthropic. These appointments mark a significant pivot in his post-politics career and have stirred debate about ethics, influence, and the convergence of governance and technology. In this article, we analyze the context, implications, constraints, and broader significance of these steps.

Background: Sunak’s Transition from Politics to Tech

Rishi Sunak served as the UK’s Prime Minister from October 2022 until July 2024, heading a Conservative government. During his premiership, his administration prioritized technology, AI, and digital infrastructure. After the 2025 general election defeat, Sunak has begun redefining his professional role.

He has already returned to advising roles in finance (notably Goldman Sachs) and now is expanding into technology advisory. The new positions at Microsoft and Anthropic suggest he aims to leverage his macroeconomic, geopolitical, and strategic expertise in sectors central to global transformation. 

What the New Roles Entail

Scope at Microsoft

At Microsoft, Sunak is expected to offer “high-level strategic perspectives” particularly on macroeconomic, geopolitical, and technological trends. He might also appear at Microsoft events — for example, the Microsoft Summit. 

Importantly, his role is not supposed to touch on UK policy matters or government lobbying. The arrangement is intended to be internal, strategic, and forward-looking. 

Scope at Anthropic

Anthropic is an AI research startup (backed by major investors in the tech world). Sunak’s advisory role here is similarly focused on global strategy, macroeconomic and geopolitical trends — rather than specific UK policy or regulation. 

The advisory relationship is described as internal; Sunak is barred from initiating contact with UK government officials on behalf of Anthropic, aligning with constraints imposed on post-government appointments. 

Ethical & Regulatory Checks: The Role of ACOBA

The UK’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) reviews and regulates post-government positions that former ministers or senior civil servants wish to take. Its goal is to prevent conflicts of interest, unfair access, or misuse of insider knowledge. 

In Sunak’s case, ACOBA approved both these roles under certain restrictions: he must not lobby government officials on behalf of Microsoft or Anthropic; he cannot draw on privileged or unpublished information from his time in government; and he must avoid involvement in UK government policy matters through these roles. 

These constraints usually last for a “cooling-off” period — often two years after leaving ministerial office — during which lobbying or influence is restricted. 

Compensation & Charitable Commitment

An interesting and notable decision is that Sunak has committed to donating all earnings from these advisory roles to The Richmond Project, a charity he co-founded with his wife, Akshata Murty. 

The Richmond Project focuses on improving numeracy (number skills) among children, families, and adults across the UK, particularly those who struggle with or lacked access to quality mathematical education. 

This gesture is likely meant to respond to public scrutiny: by not personally profiting, Sunak reduces perceptions of self-interest or impropriety in the transition from public office to corporate influence. Nevertheless, questions remain about influence and access.

Potential Benefits & Strategic Value for the Firms

For Microsoft

Microsoft, a global tech and cloud giant, could benefit from Sunak’s insight into geopolitics, trade, regulation, and macroeconomics — especially in markets where political risk or regulation is pivotal. His network, public persona, and understanding of governance may shape how Microsoft positions itself in critical global markets.

Moreover, as technology and public policy grow increasingly intertwined — e.g. in regulation of AI, data sovereignty, cloud infrastructure, and competition policy — having someone with political experience may be a bridge between innovation strategy and policy foresight.

For Anthropic

Anthropic, being an AI research startup, sits at the frontier of debates on AI safety, regulatory frameworks, and the balance between innovation and oversight. Sunak’s ability to frame high-level strategic thinking, foresee macro challenges, and understand geopolitical risk can help guide internal direction, investor relations, and long-term positioning.

In particular, as governments across the world seek to regulate AI more strongly, Anthropic may benefit from someone attuned to how regulators think, even if Sunak himself is constrained from direct lobbying. His experience could contribute to strategic anticipation.

Risks, Criticisms & Concerns

Conflict of Interest and Influence

Critics may argue that even with restrictions, Sunak’s proximity to government and his past experience could give undue access or influence to Microsoft or Anthropic. There is a perennial worry: ex-politicians moving into industry may facilitate “regulatory capture” — companies getting favorable policy outcomes via soft access.

ACOBA’s safeguards attempt to address that, but some observers caution that perception matters as much as the letter of the law: if the public sees the move as revolving-door politics, trust may erode. 

Role Overlap & Conflict Between Microsoft and Anthropic

It is worth noting that Microsoft has a significant stake in AI and is deeply involved in AI development (including its backing of OpenAI). Meanwhile, Anthropic is a competitor in the AI space. Holding advisory roles in both could create delicate balancing issues — though the firms and oversight bodies have claimed that Sunak will be appropriately “ringfenced” from areas where conflicts would arise. 

The firms must ensure clear boundaries, confidentiality, and transparent separation of Sunak’s contributions to each to avoid real or perceived collisions in strategic advice.

Effectiveness & Role Clarity

Another risk is that Sunak’s contributions, being advisory and non-executive, may have limited impact. The value he brings depends on whether the firms actually integrate his input into decisions or treat him more as a prestige name.

Also, if his role is confined too strictly by restrictions, his strategic value could be diluted. The balance between meaningful advice and ethical guardrails is delicate.

Significance in the Wider Context

Trend of Politicians Moving to Tech

This move is part of a broader trend: increasingly, senior political figures transition to leadership, advisory, or board roles in tech, finance, and private sectors after tenure. Their experience, networks, and legitimacy are seen as assets. But the trend intensifies concerns about influence, access, and revolving-door dynamics.

Examples abound globally of former heads of government taking corporate or advisory roles post tenure. Sunak’s case is high profile because it involves high stakes industries — especially AI — and because the UK is among the key jurisdictions shaping AI regulation.

Implications for AI Governance & Public Trust

The intersection of AI and public policy is among the most sensitive domains in contemporary governance. Decisions about safety, regulation, ethics, transparency, and accountability in AI will have lasting social impacts. Having someone who has occupied both public office and tech advisory roles is symbolically significant and functionally delicate.

How Sunak’s appointments are managed — how transparent the boundaries are, how strictly rules are enforced, how perception is handled — may influence public trust not only in these companies but in how society views the tech–government interface.

Future Watch: Questions to Monitor

• Will Sunak’s advice materially influence product, deployment, or safety choices at Microsoft or Anthropic?
• How strictly will compliance and ethical barriers be enforced (e.g. monitoring of lobbying, contact with government)?
• Will the donations to The Richmond Project fully assuage concerns about profiteering, or will critics see it as symbolic?
• Could this model (ex-politicians in tech advisory roles) become more common — and how might regulation evolve to guard it?
• In what ways will this dual role (Microsoft + Anthropic) challenge internal boundaries, confidentiality, and strategic alignment?

Conclusion

Rishi Sunak’s acceptance of advisory roles at Microsoft and Anthropic is a bold, high-visibility shift from politics into technology, signaling where power, influence, and strategy are converging. The move offers potential benefits: strategic insight, bridging governance and innovation, and new perspectives for both firms. But it also raises serious ethical, perceptual, and conflict concerns.

Whether this experiment succeeds — in terms of real influence, public legitimacy, and ethical integrity — will depend heavily on how transparently and rigorously the boundaries are managed, and how credibly the parties address concerns about access, lobbying, and advantage. The path Sunak walks may shape how future transitions between government and tech are viewed — and regulated.