podcast

Trump's Tech Czar on Crypto, AI, and American Innovation

05.11.2025
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with @DavidSacks @pmarca @bhorowitz @eriktorenberg

Today’s episode features David Sacks, the Trump administration’s “AI and crypto czar," in conversation with a16z cofounders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, and General Partner Erik Torenberg.

They dig into:

  • how the U.S. is approaching AI and crypto policy,
  • the fight over open source software,
  • the status of tech regulation and legislation (like the CLARITY Act for crypto),
  • what’s at stake in the geopolitical race with China, and more

This episode is a special crossover with the a16z podcast, which you can follow for more conversations like this.

Timestamps:

Intro

David Sacks on Crypto and AI Policy

Trump's Vision for Crypto

The Crypto Crackdown and Debanking Years

AI Regulatory Capture and Gatekeeping

How Permissionless Innovation Built Silicon Valley

"Woke" vs. Orwellian AI

When AGI?

Polytheistic AI and "End-to-End" Humans

The Future of AI: Controlled or Decentralized?

Open Source and Global Competition

The AI Race: US vs China

Amping Up Energy and Infrastructure

Cultural Divides Over the American Tech Stack

The European approach and Doomerism

Crypto and the Legislative Process (GENIUS, CLARITY)

The Future of the Democratic Party

San Francisco Politics

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