Matt Clifford Joins Anthropic in International Affairs Role as $2 Trillion IPO Looms
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 2
Matt Clifford Joins Anthropic in International Affairs Role as $2 Trillion IPO Looms
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 2
Summary
Matt Clifford, 41, has joined Anthropic as managing director for international affairs, a year after leaving his Downing Street AI adviser post and six months after resigning from Starmer’s unpaid role.
Anthropic said he will lead engagement with governments outside the US — including the UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific and India — as the Claude developer prepares for a stock market listing that could value it at $2 trillion.
The move drew scrutiny in Britain because Clifford wrote the government’s AI action plan and helped shape the UK’s AI Safety Summit architecture, giving him recent policy knowledge on a highly sensitive sector.
Critics including Unlock Democracy and peer Beeban Kidron said the hire highlights a revolving door between government and big tech, while Labour committee chair Chi Onwurah said such movement should be allowed but was still concerning so soon after his exit.
Anthropic said it hires people who understand government in every market, and Clifford will keep chairing Aria and Entrepreneurs First, while stepping back from any Aria matters involving Anthropic.