The man Donald Trump appointed to help guide the future of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency in the United States is turning his power into profit—and podcast promotion.
David Sacks, a Silicon Valley staple known for his early involvement in PayPal, has steered policy from Washington as one of Trump’s top technology officials—even as he continues to work as an active investor in the tech world, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
The Times reported that Sacks has said that it’s “a great honor to have a foot in each one of these worlds.”
The 53-year-old, whose net worth is estimated at between $2 and $3.1 billion, has also set his sights on amplifying his own podcast while in office. Titled All-In, the show features Sacks and three of his Silicon Valley venture capitalist comrades—Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, and David Friedberg—and dives into economics, investments, tech, and current affairs.
Sacks has taken the liberty of advertising the podcast, which is downloaded six million times a month, throughout his tenure as Trump’s top tech czar.
One such example came in July, when Sacks presided over a government-backed A.I. summit and planned for All-In to host the event—asking sponsors to fork over $1 million for access to a private reception and other perks at a gathering “bringing together President Donald Trump and leading A.I. innovators,” according to a proposal viewed by the Times.
Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, ultimately intervened and demanded that another company cohost the summit so it wouldn’t amount to an outright endorsement of the podcast, the Times reported.
Still, All-In has benefited from Sacks’ growing public profile. The Times reported that the show’s annual conference in Los Angeles drummed up about $21 million in ticket sales this year—up sharply from the $15 million generated last year.
Trump’s own allies have slammed Sacks’ self-promotion. MAGA fixture Steve Bannon pointed to the industry guru as the hallmark “tech bros out of control.”
“They are leading the White House down the road to perdition with this ascendant technocratic oligarchy,” the former Trump adviser told the Times.
Sacks also stands to gain from far more than his podcast. The GOP mega-donor holds 708 tech investments, including at least 449 stakes in companies with ties to A.I. that stand to benefit directly or indirectly from federal policies, according to a Times analysis of his financial disclosures.
Sacks did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
Trump brought on Sacks as a special government employee (SGE), a designation that limits his federal work to 130 days. But the Silicon Valley investor has been meticulously tracking his days nonconsecutively to stay on as long as possible, Semafor reported in September.
“He has no intention of leaving,” a source told the site’s editor-in-chief, Ben Smith. That’s a far cry from the length of Sacks’ longtime pal Elon Musk’s stay at the White House. Musk and Sacks both got their start at PayPal, and Sacks later helped fund SpaceX.
And throughout Sacks’ tenure, the Trump family has launched crypto ventures worth billions of dollars. Sacks was instrumental in helping Trump push the GENIUS Act through Congress—sending the value of crypto surging.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. A White House spokesperson told the Times that Sacks’ insights are “an invaluable asset for President Trump’s agenda of cementing American technology dominance.”
A spokesperson for Sacks also told the Times that a “conflict of interest narrative is false.”
The post Trump’s Top Tech Goon Uses White House Gig to Promote His Podcast appeared first on The Daily Beast.
