Rishi Sunak Joins Microsoft as Senior Adviser, Donates Salary to Charity
Rishi Sunak Joins Microsoft as Senior Adviser, Donates Salary to Charity
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has officially joined tech giant Microsoft as a part-time senior adviser, a move that has sparked both interest and scrutiny.
The ex-Tory leader, who continues to serve as an MP, will provide the Seattle-based firm with “high-level strategic perspectives on macro-economic and geopolitical trends,” focusing on how these factors intersect with innovation, regulation, and digital transformation. In a commendable gesture, Sunak has pledged to donate his salary to The Richmond Project, a numeracy skills charity co-founded with his wife, Akshata Murty.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which oversees external roles for MPs, has confirmed that Sunak will not be advising Microsoft on UK policy matters. However, the committee has faced criticism in the past for its perceived ineffectiveness in preventing potential conflicts of interest among former parliamentarians.
Sunak, who served as Prime Minister from October 2022 to July 2024, hinted at a possible career in Silicon Valley following his general election defeat. In his final appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions, he expressed a desire to spend more time in his Richmond and Northallerton constituency, stating, “If anyone needs me, I will be in Yorkshire.”
Acoba has cautioned Sunak against providing advice related to government work or contracts until next year, urging him to refrain from lobbying the government or leveraging his Whitehall contacts during this period. The Cabinet Office has indicated that Sunak’s time on the Tory backbenches will have diminished the relevance of the information he previously had access to.
In addition to his role at Microsoft, Sunak has also taken on positions at San Francisco-based Anthropic, known for its Claude artificial intelligence models, and Goldman Sachs, where he previously worked from 2001 to 2004.
As Sunak embarks on this new chapter, the implications of his roles in the tech industry will be closely monitored, particularly in light of ongoing discussions about the revolving door between politics and business.
