PeopleofSuperintelligence

Public voice

David Sacks

David Sacks is a technology investor, All In co-host, and public voice on AI policy. Born in Cape Town in 1972, he moves with his family to the United States in the late 1970s. At Stanford, he studies economics and co-authors The Diversity Myth with Peter Thiel in 1995. He moves from PayPal product leadership to COO, produces Thank You for Smoking, builds Geni, and founds Yammer before leading Zenefits. He co-founds Glue, a generative AI work chat app, speaks for America’s AI Action Plan as White House AI and Crypto Czar, and says he is leaving that role in March 2026; President Trump names him a PCAST co-chair that month.

Now at
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
Photo of David Sacks

Timeline

  1. 1970s

    A move from Cape Town

    Born in Cape Town in 1972, he moves with his family to the United States in the late 1970s.

  2. 1990s

    Economics and a campus book

    At Stanford, he studies economics. In 1995, he and Peter Thiel co-author The Diversity Myth.

  3. 1999–2007

    PayPal, film, and Geni

    He joins PayPal in 1999 as its first product leader and later becomes COO. After eBay acquires PayPal in 2002, he produces Thank You for Smoking and starts Geni, a collaborative family-tree site.

  4. 2008–2012

    Growing enterprise social

    In 2008, he founds Yammer, an enterprise collaboration platform that applies consumer growth tactics to business software. Microsoft acquires it in 2012.

  5. 2013–2016

    From Yammer to Zenefits

    As Yammer’s Corporate Vice President, he describes plans to integrate the service with Office 365. In 2016, he becomes CEO of Zenefits.

  6. 2017–2024

    Building generative AI at work

    He co-founds Craft Ventures in 2017, an investment firm backing technology and AI companies. In 2021, he and Evan Owen co-found Glue, a generative AI work chat app that launches in 2024.

  7. July 2025–March 2026

    Setting a federal AI course

    At the July 2025 release of America’s AI Action Plan, he says the United States should lead in AI innovation, infrastructure, and global partnerships. In March 2026, he says he is leaving the AI and crypto czar role.

  8. As of October 2026

    Joining the science council

    In March 2026, President Trump names Sacks and Michael Kratsios as co-chairs of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He co-hosts All In.

Sources and credits

Photo: The White House, via Wikimedia Commons. License: Public domain. Source: commons.wikimedia.org. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.

  1. ‘An out-of-touch Silicon Valley radical’: meet Trump’s AI whisperer pushing for limited regulation theguardian.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Take 2.0 magazine.uchicago.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. David Sacks allin.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Microsoft and Yammer: One year in blogs.microsoft.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Antonio Gracias, Bill McGlashan, and Peter Thiel Join Zenefits Board tpg.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. PayPal Mafia’s David Sacks on his new AI-powered work chat app rivaling Slack semafor.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. White House Unveils America’s AI Action Plan whitehouse.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.
  8. President Trump Announces Appointments to President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology whitehouse.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.
  9. David Sacks craftventures.com. Checked 14 October 2026.