U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected David Sacks as his lead advisor on artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency. In this role, Sacks will shape policies in these critical areas, which Trump believes are key to maintaining American competitiveness. Additionally, Sacks will work on protecting free speech online and combating Big Tech bias.
A Successful Tech Entrepreneur
Sacks started his career at McKinsey & Company after completing his law degree at the University of Chicago in 1998. He then joined the e-commerce startup Confinity, which later became PayPal. As head of product, Sacks played a key role in building PayPal’s teams before it went public. PayPal was eventually sold to eBay for $1.5 billion.
Afterward, Sacks ventured into Hollywood, producing the film Thank You For Smoking. He later founded Yammer, a business-focused social network, which was acquired by Microsoft for $1.2 billion. In 2017, Sacks co-founded Craft Ventures, a firm that has invested in numerous successful companies like Airbnb, Lyft, and SpaceX.