Venture capitalist David Sacks is stepping down from his post as the White House’s AI and cryptocurrency czar, marking the end of a limited-term government role that has placed Silicon Valley influence squarely inside the Trump administration’s technology agenda.
Sacks confirmed in an interview Thursday that his departure is not tied to policy disagreements or internal friction, but rather to the legal constraints of his position as a special government employee. Under federal rules, such roles are capped at 130 days of service within a 12-month period — a limit Sacks said he has now reached.
“I had a role as a SGE that was 130 days…we’ve now used up that time,” Sacks said, signaling a transition rather than a full exit from the administration’s orbit.
Instead of leaving entirely, Sacks will move into a new role as co-chair of President Donald Trump’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, known as PCAST. The advisory body, composed of prominent figures from the tech and business worlds, is tasked with shaping policy recommendations on some of the most consequential issues facing the country — particularly artificial intelligence.
Sacks indicated that the shift could broaden his influence, allowing him to weigh in on a wider range of technological challenges beyond his previous dual focus on AI and cryptocurrency. “I think moving forward as co-chair of PCAST, I can now make recommendations on not just AI, but an expanded range of technology topics,” he said.
The council itself includes a roster of high-profile industry leaders, such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Oracle executive chairman Larry Ellison. Sacks will co-chair the panel alongside Michael Kratsios, who leads the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
According to Sacks, the group will collaborate to study emerging issues and deliver formal recommendations to the administration. Artificial intelligence is expected to remain at the center of those discussions, particularly as policymakers grapple with its implications for the economy, the workforce, and national security.
That last point — national security — looms especially large as Washington increasingly frames technological competition as a strategic priority. While innovation promises economic growth and efficiency, it also raises difficult questions about how far government involvement should go, and what risks may come with tying technological advancement too closely to geopolitical concerns.
Sacks, who was appointed at the start of Trump’s second term, was the first to hold the combined AI and cryptocurrency role. His tenure reflects a broader effort by the administration to integrate private-sector expertise into policymaking, particularly in fast-moving fields where government often struggles to keep pace.
Before entering public service, Sacks built his career in the tech industry, joining PayPal in 1999 alongside figures like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Reid Hoffman. He later founded Yammer, an enterprise social network, and in 2017 launched Craft Ventures, his investment firm.
His continued presence on PCAST suggests that while his formal government service may be limited by statute, his influence on the administration’s approach to technology policy is far from over. As debates over AI intensify — touching everything from jobs to security — the question remains how these decisions will balance innovation with caution in an increasingly uncertain global landscape.
