President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named venture capitalist and former PayPal Chief Operating Officer David Sacks as a top White House advisor on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency issues.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said that Sacks will guide policy and “focus on making America the clear global leader” on two topics that have rocketed to the forefront of policy discussions around technology and the global economy. Sacks will also lead the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology, a group that makes science, technology, and other innovation policy recommendations to the White House.
“He will safeguard Free Speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship. He will work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the U.S.,” Trump added in the social media post announcing the appointment of his so-called “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.”
Sacks was once a vocal Trump critic, saying on an episode of his “All-In” podcast that the former and future president was “clearly” responsible for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. “I think he’s disqualified himself from being a candidate at a national level again,” he said at the time.
However, Sacks’ views have since changed, hosting a fundraiser for Trump at his San Francisco home in June with tickets being sold for $50,000 per person, according to NBC News.
He wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, at the time that President Joe Biden had “veered badly of course” on the economy, foreign policy, the border, and lawfare, and that Trump would lead Americans back.
Sacks is a member of an exclusive group of former PayPal founders and employees that includes Elon Musk. The 52-year-old entrepreneur who was born in South Africa also founded and worked as CEO of Yammer, an enterprise social networking service, which Microsoft acquired for $1.2 billion in 2012. He also founded Craft Ventures, a venture capitalist firm, in 2017.
“David has the knowledge, business experience, intelligence, and pragmatism to MAKE AMERICA GREAT in these two critical technologies,” Trump said.
Sacks’ hiring came a day after Trump nominated Paul Atkins, a former federal regulator and cryptocurrency industry ally, to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission.
