Cipher executive editor Amy Harder and Bill Gates at the Breakthrough Energy Summit in Seattle on Oct. 19, 2022. (GeekWire Photo /)

Breakthrough Energy 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.

In decades past, as the effects of climate change slowly became undeniable, some looked to the super rich for answers — the billionaires with enough cash to really make a splash. They backed green energy campaigns and carbon capture programs,

As if there was any doubt, we can go ahead and officially add climate change to the list of things that we can’t count on billionaires to figure out for us. According to the New York Times, Breakthrough Energy,

Breakthrough Energy is also pulling back on climate funding. 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,