Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang and Sergey Brin join Trump’s tech advisory panel
The leaders of several major technology companies will present their opinions on technology and science policy to the White House as part of an advisory council. Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Michael Dell and Larry Ellison – CEOs of Meta, NVIDIA, Dell and Oracle respectively – join the panel alongside Google co-founder Sergey Brin and AMD CEO Lisa Su. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who has donated to super PACs that support President Donald Trump, will also be on the panel.
The latest version of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has 13 members, but that number could expand to 24. White House AI and cryptocurrency czar David Sacks co-chairs PCAST alongside Trump science advisor Michael Kratsios.
“Under the leadership of President Trump, PCAST will focus on topics related to the opportunities and challenges that emerging technologies present to the American workforce, and ensure that all Americans thrive in the golden age of innovation,” the White House told the Wall Street Journal in a statement. Zuckerberg said he was “honored to join the president’s council and work with other industry leaders” to help ensure the United States leads the world in AI.
George W. Bush created PCAST through a 2001 executive order, and some notable leaders have been involved with the panel. Barack Obama’s advisors included Eric Schmidt, then executive chairman of Google, and Craig Mundie, former Microsoft director of research and strategy, while former Disney CEO Bob Iger served on PCAST during Trump’s first term. Joe Biden’s panel included Su.
Tech CEOs all have a personal and professional stake here, given the potential impact of federal rules on them and their companies. It’s worth noting that Meta, Google, and Huang all helped fund the construction of Trump’s ballroom at the White House. Google, Meta and NVIDIA were among the companies that each donated $1 million to the committee for Trump’s second inauguration.
Meanwhile, Ellison – whose family has spent much of the last two years building a media empire including Paramount and potentially Warner Bros. Discovery – has close ties to Trump. Oracle is also among the companies that supported the purchase of the American version of TikTok, a deal that Trump approved by executive order. It was reported this month that the Trump administration would receive $10 billion to negotiate the buyout.
