PayPal Co-Founder David Sacks Named as First White House AI and Crypto Czar

Key Takeaways

• PayPal co-founder David Sacks has been appointed as Donald Trump’s “White House AI and Crypto Czar.”
• Trump said Sacks would work on giving the crypto industry the clarity it needs to thrive in the country.
• The President-elect has been putting digital assets at the forefront of his new administration.

President-elect Donald Trump has appointed PayPal co-founder and former chief operating officer David Sacks as the new “White House AI and Crypto Czar.”

It marks the latest move by the President-elect to appoint his cabinet with individuals who will examine reshaping U.S. policy and bringing pro-crypto legislation into the country.

Sacks Appointed as AI and Crypto Czar

In a Truth Social  post on Friday, Dec. 6, Trump wrote that Sacks would guide policy on AI and crypto, which were “two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness.”

The President-elect said that Sacks would work on a legal framework “so the crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for and can thrive in the U.S.”

Sacks will also work on other priorities that Trump made clear in his campaign: safeguarding free speech and ending “Big Tech bias and censorship.”

Trump has also appointed Sacks to lead his Council of Advisors for Science and Technology, a committee of experts that helps the President make important policy decisions.

Trump’s Pro-Crypto Government

President-elect Trump has made several promises regarding the future of crypto, and it looks as if he is choosing his cabinet accordingly.

During his campaign, Trump proposed to establish a Bitcoin reserve alongside the dollar, eliminate capital gains tax on crypto profits and make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet.”

On Thursday, Trump announced that pro-crypto advocate Paul Atkins would replace Gary Gensler as the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The crypto industry celebrated the appointment, with Trump stating that he “recognizes that digital assets and other innovations are crucial to making America greater than ever before.”

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said Atkins was an “outstanding choice” and that the former SEC commissioner would “bring common sense” back to the agency.