From Bloomberg, March 12:
Breakthrough Energy, the climate group funded by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, has laid off dozens of employees in the US and Europe as it pulls back from public policy advocacy work that was a cornerstone of its mission.
The group laid off all of its staff in Europe as well as all of its US public policy team and staff members responsible for partnerships, according to a person familiar. The move comes as US President Donald Trump enacts a plan aimed to boost fossil fuels and Republicans weigh whether to roll back parts of former President Joe Biden’s climate law, which Gates helped usher through Congress in 2022.
Breakthrough Energy is an umbrella organization founded by Gates that houses various initiatives aimed at accelerating the clean energy transition. It also encompasses Breakthrough Energy Ventures, one of the biggest investors in early-stage climate technologies with stakes in more than 120 companies, as well as a grantmaking program for early-seed stage company founders and Breakthrough Catalyst, a funding platform focused on emergent climate technologies. None of those divisions of the group were impacted by cuts, which were reported earlier by the New York Times.
Cipher News, which is also funded by Breakthrough Energy, is now looking for new sources of funding, according to a person familiar. The organization with a staff of six journalists that publish stories on climate solutions has some months of funds available before it must secure new sources, the person said....
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