Former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is moving into the technology world, joining Microsoft Corp. and the artificial intelligence startup Anthropic PBC as a senior adviser.

Sunak (pictured), who quit his role as leader of the U.K.’s opposition Conservative Party after suffering defeat in that country’s general election in July 2024, is still a member of the British Parliament.

As a former PM, he’s also subject to certain conditions imposed on him by the U.K.’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, or ACOBA, which is a body that lays out the rules on new jobs for former ministers and senior civil servants, and is tasked with preventing them from using their political influence to favor any company or organization they work for.

Sunak said in a post on LinkedIn that he’ll be advising Microsoft on macroeconomic and geopolitical trends. As part of his new role, he’ll also speak at the company’s annual summit, but he will not be providing any advice regarding U.K. policy matters.

He’ll fulfill a similar role at Anthropic, providing advice on global strategic matters, rather than U.K.-specific policy. Due to ACOBA’s rules, he is prohibited from making contact with U.K. government officials on behalf of either company until two years have passed since his last day in public office. He’s also not allowed to draw on any privileged information obtained during his time in government that might be able to help either company, the rules say.

While serving as U.K. Prime Minister, Sunak made tech regulation and investment a significant priority, notably setting up a global AI safety summit in 2023. He sought to establish the country as an AI powerhouse, and also relaxed rules on cryptocurrencies during his time in office.

Holger Mueller of Constellation Research Inc. said Sunak’s appointment as adviser to Microsoft and Anthropic is the latest example of how politicians increasingly flit between running governments and dabbling in the enterprise technology sector. Previous examples include the U.K.’s former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who previously served as the President of Global Affairs at Meta Platforms Inc. for several years after leaving government, and the former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett, who sits on the board of the quantum computing startup Quantum Source Ltd. In the U.S., one of the best examples is former Hewlett-Packard Inc. Chief Executive Carly Fiorina, who won the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in California in 2010, but failed to win election. She later appeared as a Republican presidential candidate in the 2016 primaries, but made an early exit.

“To a certain extent, politicians like Sunak can be helpful, providing tech companies with a useful perspective on geopolitical, economic and strategic considerations,” Mueller said. “It can also be a useful experience for politicians, giving them a better sense of the reality of the private sector, which can be useful if they plan to return to office in future. But there are a number of things that can go wrong, hence the restrictions the British government has placed on what Sunak can and can’t do for Microsoft and Anthropic.”

In his LinkedIn post, Sunak reiterated his interest in technology and his belief that it can help to create a better future. He added that his role will help Microsoft and Anthropic answer strategic questions about how to make their technology work for the economy, improve security and benefit society.

“Microsoft has driven productivity improvements for decades and Anthropic is one of the most exciting AI frontier labs,” Sunak said. “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.”

Sunak added that the salary he earns from his advisory roles will be donated to The Richmond Project, a charity he started with his wife Akshate Murty in March. The Richmond Project aims to improve numeracy in the U.K., helping children struggling at school, families lacking in number confidence and adults who have failed to master basic math.

Photo: Rishi Sunak/LinkedIn