or much of 2024, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in Silicon Valley was David Sacks, an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and co-host of the popular podcast. On his podcast and social media, Sacks argued that Trump’s pro-industry stances would unleash innovation and spur growth in the tech industry. In June, Sacks hosted a." It’s unclear how much power this role actually has.
“A whole-of-government approach that collaborates closely with private industry is essential to winning the AI race, and a designated AI leader in the Administration can help do that,” Tony Samp, the head of AI policy at the law firm DLA Piper, tells TIME. , who has also been tasked with a new role in Trump’s Administration.
Trump, meanwhile, has been eager to claim credit for the crypto’s recent successes. When Bitcoin crossed $100,000 for the first time, TrumpWhile Sacks is supportive of both industries, it is unclear how much power he will actually have in this new role. Bloombergthat Sacks will be a “special government employee”—a part-time role that doesn’t require him to divest or publicly disclose his assets, and sets a maximum number of 130 working days a year.
Suresh Venkatasubramanian, an AI advisor to Biden’s White House starting in 2021, expressed concern about the lack of oversight of this new position, as well as the conflicts of interest it could lead to. “The roles and responsibilities described in the press announcement describe a lot of what the director of OSTP does,” he tells TIME. “The only difference is lack of oversight.