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New role signals broader tech-guidance
David Sacks’s transition marks the single most important new development in Washington tech policy: he is stepping away from the White House’s direct AI and crypto policymaking to become co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
“used up his 130 days as a special government employee”
The change comes after he acknowledged that his status as a special government employee is capped at 130 days, stating that he has “used up” that period and will shift to a broader advisory role.
He will share the co-chair duties with Michael Kratsios, positioning himself to guide policy from the outside while continuing to influence Trump’s AI framework at a higher, more diffuse level.
PCAST makeup and mandate
The council can comprise up to 24 members, with 13 initial appointees named, and it will be co-chaired by Sacks and Michael Kratsios.
Prominent members include Jensen Huang and Mark Zuckerberg, among others, underscoring the forum’s star-power approach to shaping policy advice for emerging technologies.
In practice, PCAST is designed to study issues and issue formal recommendations to the president on topics like AI, quantum computing, nuclear power, and related technologies, rather than to directly regulate or implement policy.
Crypto policy faces headwinds
The crypto-policy dimension remains central, and Sacks’s exit from day-to-day crypto leadership does not erase the political frictions that have stalled key legislation.
“Proposed legislation would split oversight between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The House passed its version of a market structure bill — the Clarity Act — with bipartisan support last year. In January, the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its own version along party lines, though progress has since stalled in the Senate Banking Committee amid disagreements, particularly over the treatment of stablecoin rewards.”
The Block’s coverage notes that proposed legislation would split oversight between the SEC and CFTC, with the House-passed market-structure bill (the Clarity Act) and a Senate Agriculture Committee version advancing earlier but now stalled in the Senate Banking Committee over issues such as stablecoin rewards.
Decrypt emphasizes that market-structure and stablecoin legislation remain unfinished, while CryptoNewsZ frames these debates as ongoing, with industry disagreements and political delays hindering progress in Congress.
Policy influence, not control
Axios notes that the White House plans no new AI czar and that Sacks will continue advising on AI policy through PCAST, signaling a shift toward broad, technocratic guidance rather than a direct executive-branch role.
The Verge frames the change as a relocation from an executive-access position to a formal advisory council, highlighting the potential limits of influence even as his network remains powerful.
Critics point to the omission of Elon Musk from the initial PCAST roster as a reminder that the Trump-era tech policy apparatus remains a contested arena, with politics often shaping who gets a seat at the table.
Global context on governance
Córdoba Buenas Noticias highlights the roster’s strategic aim to reinforce U.S. leadership in science and AI, underscoring the council’s role as an official, high-profile bridge between private tech power and government policy.
“PCAST … will provide recommendations to strengthen the United States' position in science and technology, with a special focus on artificial intelligence”
Singapore’s Straits Times notes the same dynamic, situating PCAST within a long-running tradition of presidential science advisories and stressing the panel’s evolving composition.
Mezha.net frames the shift as a transition from private-sector influence to a formal, state-backed platform, with Sacks poised to guide topics from AI to broader tech policy while maintaining his status at Craft Ventures.