Trump's Tech Czar on Crypto, AI, and American Innovation
Trump's Tech Czar on Crypto, AI, and American Innovation  
Podcast: a16z crypto show
Published On: Wed Nov 05 2025
Description: with @DavidSacks @pmarca @bhorowitz @eriktorenbergToday’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 moreThis episode is a special crossover with the a16z podcast, which you can follow for more conversations like this.Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:16 David Sacks on Crypto and AI Policy02:34 Trump's Vision for Crypto06:16 The Crypto Crackdown and Debanking Years08:58 AI Regulatory Capture and Gatekeeping11:30 How Permissionless Innovation Built Silicon Valley16:21 "Woke" vs. Orwellian AI21:48 When AGI?24:29 Polytheistic AI and "End-to-End" Humans31:07 The Future of AI: Controlled or Decentralized?37:13 Open Source and Global Competition41:53 The AI Race: US vs China46:32 Amping Up Energy and Infrastructure47:17 Cultural Divides Over the American Tech Stack55:01 The European approach and Doomerism01:06:14 Crypto and the Legislative Process (GENIUS, CLARITY)01:11:13 The Future of the Democratic Party01:14:12 San Francisco Politics📩 Subscribe for more industry reports, trend updates, news analysis, builder guides, and other resourcesfrom a16z crypto: https://a16zcrypto.substack.com/subscribe/ 🎙️ Like, subscribe, comment, share the show: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/podcast/ ***As always, none of the following should be taken as investment, business, legal, or tax advice. Please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information, including a link to a list of our investments. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.