White House crypto and AI adviser David Sacks is stepping down from his formal administration role and moving to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, or PCAST, after reaching the legal limit on his time as a special government employee.
Reuters reported the move on March 27, while the White House had already announced on March 25 that Sacks would co chair the council with Michael Kratsios.
Sacks had served as the White House’s special adviser for AI and crypto since his appointment was announced in December 2024. Under federal rules, special government employees can work only 130 days in a 12 month period, and Reuters said Sacks confirmed that his allowed tenure had ended.
The shift matters because Sacks’ old position carried direct crypto policy duties. A January 2025 presidential action created the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets and said the special adviser for AI and crypto would chair it. A White House digital assets report published in July 2025 repeated that structure, tying the role directly to regulatory and legislative recommendations on digital assets.
Now Sacks moves into a broader advisory post. The White House said PCAST will advise the president on science, technology, innovation, education, national security and the economy. Its initial roster includes major technology figures such as Marc Andreessen, Sergey Brin, Safra Catz, Michael Dell, Fred Ehrsam, Jensen Huang, Lisa Su and Mark Zuckerberg.
What David Sacks’ New Role Means for Crypto
For crypto, that means Sacks may lose some day to day formal authority, even if he keeps influence inside the administration. That conclusion follows from the structure of the two jobs. His previous title was tied to the White House digital asset working group, while PCAST is an advisory committee that gives recommendations across a wider range of technology issues. Reuters also reported that Sacks said he would continue supporting the administration’s AI policy framework.
In practical terms, crypto policy does not appear to be losing a voice in Washington, but it is likely losing a dedicated full time White House official with a title focused on crypto. Axios reported that the White House does not plan to appoint a new AI czar, which suggests Sacks’ influence may continue informally rather than through the same office. That could leave crypto policy more closely folded into broader tech and economic discussions rather than handled through a single high profile White House role.
So, the move looks less like a break with crypto policy and more like a reshuffle forced by tenure rules. Still, it changes where crypto sits in the White House structure and may reduce the visibility of a standalone “crypto czar” role.
Source: https://coinpaper.com/15766/david-sacks-leaves-white-house-crypto-role-but-still-keeps-a-policy-seat
