David Sacks announced he is leaving his post as the White House artificial intelligence and crypto czar, saying in an interview on Bloomberg Television that he had reached the end of his authorized time as a special government employee. The announcement, made on March 26, confirms a formal transition out of the role he had held since his December 2024 appointment.
Sacks said he will move into a leadership position on President Donald Trump’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a federal advisory committee composed of industry and academic experts. As a co-chair of that body, Sacks told Bloomberg he expects to be able to make recommendations across a broader array of technology issues than the AI-focused portfolio he held in the White House.
The timing of the departure reflects a statutory limit that applies to special government employees. Under U.S. rules cited in the interview, those appointees are limited to 130 days of work in a 12-month period. The restriction applies to days actually worked rather than the overall duration of an appointment, and Sacks said he had reached that limit.
During his time serving as the administration’s AI and crypto point person, Sacks presided over a loosening of Biden-era restrictions on shipments of AI chips to China. He also said he will continue to assist in advancing the administration’s AI policy framework that was released last week.
Earlier this month, Sacks publicly called for the United States to "declare victory and get out" of the Iran war, an instance the interview noted as a relatively uncommon public appeal from a prominent member of the Trump administration for an exit from that conflict.
Sacks is a longtime Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor and is a partner at Craft Ventures, the firm he co-founded in 2017. His movement from the special government employee role into the council is presented as a shift from a limited operational appointment to a federal advisory position with co-chair responsibilities.
The council he will join is designed to bring together industry and academic specialists to offer guidance to the president on science and technology topics. Sacks said the co-chair position will allow him to weigh in on a broader range of technology matters beyond AI while continuing to support the policy agenda the administration has articulated on artificial intelligence.
Context limitations: The information available focuses on the transition and the statutory limit governing special government employees, the change in venue to the presidential advisory council, the earlier statements Sacks made regarding the Iran war, and the policy actions involving AI chip export restrictions. Further details about the council's internal agenda or specific next steps were not provided in the interview excerpt.