Trump Names Ellison, Zuckerberg to Tech Advisory Council
Donald Trump has enlisted a group of Silicon Valley billionaires such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen to provide guidance to the White House on science and technology policy.
They will work with 10 others on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a group that in past administrations has primarily included academics and engineers with specific knowledge. David Sacks, a venture capitalist from Silicon Valley who has acted as the White House’s AI and crypto leader, will co-chair the council.
The action taken by the Trump administration will strengthen the connections between the industry and the White House, which has frequently entertained tech leaders for dinners and private talks, while continually advocating for policies advantageous to the sector.
A number of council members have also contributed substantial sums to the president’s initiatives. Last year, Andreessen donated $2.5 million to a Super Pac associated with Trump and invested $4.5 million supporting Trump’s campaign for the 2024 election.
Fred Ehrsam, co-founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, contributed $1 million to Trump's inauguration committee last year, just like Zuckerberg's Meta did.
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"The White House stated that under President Trump, [the council] will address the opportunities and challenges posed by emerging technologies for the American workforce and strive to ensure that all Americans succeed in the Golden Age of Innovation."
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Other members of the committee announced on Wednesday were Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Oracle's executive vice-chair Safra Catz, investor and podcaster David Friedberg, and AMD's Lisa Su. The White House announced that additional members would be included at a future time.
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The appointments occur as the Trump administration persists in supporting the tech sector, easing export restrictions on AI chips, expediting data center development, and endorsing minimal regulation.