David Sacks Wins Wash100 Award for Government Leadership in Digital Assets & AI
Executive Mosaic is pleased to announce that David Sacks, co-founder and partner at venture capital firm Craft and White House artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar, has won his first-ever Wash100 Award. The Wash100 Award is given out annually in recognition of the 100 most influential and impactful members of the government and government contracting industry.
Commenting on the honor, Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award, said, “David landing a spot on the 2025 Wash100 list is a recognition of both his impact and his potential to shape the future of AI and crypto policy at the highest levels. As the White House’s AI and crypto czar, Davis is at the center of two of the most transformative technologies of our time, steering national strategy on innovation, regulation, and security. With a background that spans tech entrepreneurship, venture capital, and now public service, he brings a rare blend of industry expertise and policy influence.”
“David’s Wash100 debut signals that all eyes are on him as he helps define the next era of government tech leadership,” Garrettson added.
Select David Sacks as your favorite 2025 Wash100 Award winner at Wash100.com! Voting closes on April 30, with the winner of the popular vote competition to be announced soon thereafter.
Selection as Crypto & AI Czar
Formerly the chief operating officer of PayPal and founder and CEO of enterprise social networking service Yammer, Sacks was selected by President Donald Trump in December 2024 to guide the administrations policies concerning AI and crypto. “David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding, “He will work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the U.S.”
Initial Crypto Policies
Despite holding the role for barely two months, Sacks is already moving forward with crypto and digital assets policymaking. On Feb. 4, he held a press conference during which he announced the establishment of a bicameral working group that seeks to drive crypto-related legislation forward and harmonize regulations across various agencies. The working group comprises the House and Senate Agricultural Committees, the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee.
One key piece of legislation already being put forward by the group is the GENUIS Act, which seeks to regulate stablecoins, a kind of cryptocurrency whose value can be tied to real-world currencies like the U.S. dollar. Stablecoins are considered critical to global trade and finance, and their regulation would ensure the financial sector leadership of the U.S. as well as digital transaction control. For Sacks, promoting U.S.-based stablecoin issuances could increase demand for the U.S. dollar and help reduce long-term interest rates.
During the press conference, Sacks also said that the president had asked him and the Working Group on Digital Asset Markets to look into the possibility of establishing a Bitcoin reserve, a task that he said they will prioritize. A Bitcoin reserve could, among other things, legitimize Bitcoin as a financial asset and strengthen the position of the U.S. in crypto markets; and drive technological innovation by attracting blockchain infrastructure investments.
For Sacks, all these concurrent efforts will help create what he describes as “a golden age in digital assets.”
The Need for AI
As for artificial intelligence, Sacks said in a recent episode of The Will Cain Show that the public conversation regarding the technology has largely been dominated by the risks, and while it is important not to be cavalier about those risks, it is also necessary to discuss the opportunities AI brings, including a boost in productivity, which Sacks believes is necessary in order for the U.S. to overcome federal debt.
“We need these new technologies. And I believe that we can marshal them responsibly. I think we can use them responsibly,” Sacks said, noting, further, that mastery of the technology is key to the U.S. staying ahead of competitors.
“If we don’t do it, it’s not like the innovations gonna stop. China’s gonna do it. China is very competitive in AI. And so we have to win this AI race,” Sacks said.
Congratulations to David Sacks and his team for this inaugural Wash100 win!
Don’t forget to vote for David Sacks as your esteemed 2025 Wash100 awardee at Wash100.com!