Breakthrough Energy, a group started by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates that supports reducing emissions, has laid off multiple staffers and is cutting its policy arm, according to a person familiar with the matter.
It was not immediately clear how many employees at the group were let go, but The New York Times reported Wednesday that the cuts involved “dozens” of individuals, including the group’s entire U.S. team working on policy issues and its Europe unit.
A second person familiar with Breakthrough Energy’s operation who was granted anonymity to speak freely said the policy team’s last day would be this Friday. Several staffers on the philanthropic side of Breakthrough Energy also were let go, the person said.
The development marks a sharp turn for the organization, which emerged after the Paris climate talks in 2015 to push for carbon-cutting policy and projects. In an interview with POLITICO’s E&E News in 2016, Gates described a conversation with then-President-elect Donald Trump about advancing policy to support low-carbon energy.
