News on December 21: Recently, Trump appointed David Sacks as the 'AI and Crypto Czar' to lead a new advisory council, which has sparked attention. Sacks is a venture capitalist, podcaster, and former PayPal executive. However, insiders from the transition team revealed that last week the position was downgraded from a leadership role to a general advisory role, partly because Sacks was unwilling to separate from his investment firm Craft Ventures and did not want to go through the formal appointment process. In the future, Michael Kratsios will lead the technology policy work, while Sacks will provide policy ideas. Despite the change in position, Sacks remains influential, frequently active in Florida and San Francisco, and meeting with legislators. His appointment has raised concerns about conflicts of interest, but some in Silicon Valley are optimistic, believing it may benefit startups; however, others question his expertise and worry about the direction of policy.
