130 days of the crypto czar: What David Sacks changed as Donald Trump’s advisor

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130 days of the crypto czar David Sacks

Who is David Sacks

David Sacks is a venture capitalist and one of the most influential members of the so-called PayPal mafia. He previously served as COO of PayPal and later founded Yammer, which was sold to Microsoft for $1.2 billion. Today, he is a partner at Craft Ventures and активно invests in technology companies.

In politics, Sacks emerged as an ally of Donald Trump and one of the few representatives of Silicon Valley who openly supported his agenda. His appointment as special advisor on cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence in early 2025 was an attempt to bring tech-sector voices into policymaking, rather than relying solely on regulators.

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Sacks entered the White House at a time when the crypto industry was demanding clarity. His task was to move the discussion around digital assets from courtrooms into legislation.

During his tenure, that transition effectively took place. The administration produced its first comprehensive document on the crypto market — a 166-page report by the working group. The GENIUS Act was passed, establishing rules for stablecoins. The CLARITY Act, aimed at defining market structure, moved from discussion into the political process.

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What his move to PCAST changes

David Sacks’ transition to the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) effectively represents a shift in scale and priorities.

PCAST is not a narrow advisory body. It is a key presidential council that develops recommendations on major technological areas, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cybersecurity, biotechnology, quantum computing, and digital infrastructure. Its role is not to promote a single industry but to shape the country’s overall technology policy.

The composition of the council reflects this. It includes leaders of major tech companies and investors shaping the industry, such as Jensen Huang (Nvidia), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Lisa Su (AMD), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Marc Andreessen (a16z), and Michael Dell. From the crypto industry, only Fred Ehrsam is represented as a co-founder of Coinbase and a partner at Paradigm.

This is an important signal. Cryptocurrencies no longer hold a privileged position in this framework. They are integrated into the broader technology agenda and must compete for attention with significantly larger sectors.

Sacks has already outlined the council’s main priority, which is creating a unified federal framework for AI regulation. Currently, the U.S. operates under a patchwork of state-level rules, which is considered a major issue for tech companies. Against this backdrop, crypto appears to be a lower-priority topic.

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What this means for U.S. crypto regulation

Another key difference is the level of influence. As crypto czar, Sacks had a clear mandate and could directly coordinate the administration’s work on digital assets. In PCAST, he becomes one of several co-chairs, and his position is just one part of a collective recommendation.

This means cryptocurrencies are losing a dedicated channel of influence within the White House. The future development of policy now depends even more on a broader system: Congress, regulators, and technology advisors, for whom crypto is not a central focus.

As a result, the underlying logic is changing. If the first 130 days were a period of active rulemaking, the next phase is about alignment and implementation. And this phase is almost always slower.

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