Donald Trump has once again looked to Silicon Valley to fill a key role in his new administration, by appointing David Sacks to shape his future policy on crypto and artificial intelligence.

Sacks will serve as the president’s ‘crypto and AI tsar’, an advisory role which will still have an influence on the incoming administration’s policies in these two key sectors. A podcaster and an AI entrepreneur, Sacks has deep connections in the Silicon Valley and has also launched his own AI chat platform called Glue.

The appointment is a further boost in confidence for the digital assets industry. Also last week, Trump announced that Paul Atkins will lead the US SEC. Atkins, a former commissioner at the SEC, is a proponent of cryptocurrency and fintech, and the agency is expected to play a leading role in implementing Trump’s crypto policy under his leadership, according to Bloomberg.

Trump defended Sacks’ appointment by writing on his social media platform, Truth Social: “David has the knowledge, business experience, intelligence and pragmatism to MAKE AMERICA GREAT in these two critical technologies.”

Rewarding loyalists

Sacks’ appointment sends yet another signal that the incoming administration in Washington wants to work closely with the tech and crypto sectors. It also shows that Trump is willing to reward key figures in the industry for their support during his election campaign.

The most notable of such actions, perhaps, was the appointment of Elon Musk to lead the Department for Government Efficiency, more commonly referred to as DOGE.

Both Musk and Sacks are former employees of Paypal and have deep connections in Silicon Valley. Musk also played a key role in Trump’s return to the White House.

The incoming president’s stance on AI is still not completely clear, but he strongly supported the crypto industry throughout his campaign. He even got involved in a crypto venture himself and became a key advocate for the recently launched World Liberty Financial.