David Sacks appointed as Trump's AI and cryptocurrency head.
Another special government employee.
David Sacks has been named "Czar" of Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency in the administration of elected President Donald Trump. Sacks, known for being a close ally of Elon Musk and co-host of the popular podcast All-In, has shown his support for the elected president from Silicon Valley. This appointment comes after Musk's designation to lead, along with others, the "Department of Government Efficiency."
The Trump administration announced that Sacks, who previously hosted a $300,000-per-person fundraising dinner at his San Francisco mansion, will play a crucial role in crafting policies related to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies, areas considered essential for the future competitiveness of the United States. Trump emphasized that Sacks will focus on positioning the country as a global leader in both fields, while also protecting online free speech and preventing bias and censorship from big tech companies.
Additionally, Sacks will be responsible for the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, an independent advisory committee. In a later message on Truth Social, Trump also mentioned Sacks' background at PayPal, where he worked directly with Musk, and his success with Yammer, a platform that Microsoft acquired for $1.2 billion in 2012.
Sacks is a known advocate of Musk, holds investments in SpaceX, and has been instrumental in Musk's acquisition of Twitter. His venture capital firm, Craft Ventures, has backed tech companies such as Glean, an artificial intelligence startup, and Palantir, the government contracting firm co-founded by Peter Thiel. In political circles, Sacks has become an influential figure within the Republican Party, having spoken at the 2024 Republican National Convention and attended Mar-a-Lago on election day.
Following the announcement of his appointment, prominent leaders from the artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency industries, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, rushed to express their congratulations to Sacks on X. Emilie Choi, COO of Coinbase, called him a "great choice," praising his understanding of the crypto space.