Rishi Sunak joins Microsoft & Anthropic as Senior Adviser

Rishi Sunak has been appointed as a senior adviser by US technology firms Microsoft and Anthropic.

They add to his positions as a senior adviser to Goldman Sachs International and as a speaker for investment firms, including Bain Capital and Makena Capital in the US, which have earned him over £150,000 per talk.

Sunak follows former Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who became President of Global Affairs at Meta.

The former Conservative leader unveiled a £2.5 billion deal with Microsoft chief executive Brad Smith at the Bletchley Park AI summit in November 2023.

Sunak described the deal as a “historic” investment in new datacentres.

He also held one-to-one meetings with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who committed another £22 billion to UK investment in September 2025, and with OpenAI figures.

Microsoft holds multiple large contracts with UK government departments.

The latest memorandum of understanding represents “a yearly spend of £1.4 billion to deliver digital transformation, adoption of AI and cloud services”, said Westminster’s office of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA).

In 2023, while Rishi Sunak was in Downing Street, the government’s competition watchdog blocked Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision. The deal went ahead after restructuring.

Westminster authorities noted there were “risks associated with your access to information that may grant Microsoft an unfair advantage”.

Sunak said he will provide “high-level strategic perspectives on macro-economic and geopolitical trends” and will not advise on UK policy matters.

He will donate his salary from both roles to the Richmond Project, a charity he founded with his wife, Akshata Murty, which aims to improve social mobility through numeracy.

ACOBA said AI was a priority during Sunak’s premiership, including legislation affecting companies in the sector.

But it added: “There is no suggestion any decisions or actions were taken in office in expectation of this role, and the Cabinet Office confirmed it is not aware of any decisions you made that were specific to Anthropic, as opposed to sector-wide.”

The committee noted a “reasonable concern that your appointment could be seen to offer unfair access and influence within the UK government”, particularly amid “intense debate and lobbying around the world” on AI regulation.

Sunak assured ACOBA that the role will be internally focused and not involve lobbying.

An Anthropic spokesperson said the company was “pleased to welcome Sunak”.

The spokesperson added: “He was among the first global leaders to recognise AI’s transformative potential, establishing the world’s first AI Safety Institute and convening the inaugural AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park.

“His experience will provide valuable strategic perspective as we work to ensure AI benefits humanity.”

“This internally-focused, part-time advisory role fully complies with the conditions of ACOBA, and Mr Sunak is donating his entire compensation to the Richmond Project charity.”

Sunak said he was “excited to help these two companies, as they address the big strategic questions about how to make tech work for our economies, our security and our society”.

He added: “We stand on the edge of a technological revolution whose impacts will be as profound as those of the industrial revolution, and felt more quickly.

“In my role as a senior adviser, I want to help these companies ensure that this shift delivers the improvements in all of our lives that it can.”