The Digester
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Trump fills PCAST with mostly tech executives, names 13 members

President Trump has named 13 members to PCAST, drawing mainly from tech executives and startups and including one academic, with the council set to expire two years after the order.

Mar 25th 2026 · United States

Insights

  • An executive order in January 2025 re-established the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and named Michael Kratsios and David Sacks as co-chairs.
  • So far 13 members have been appointed instead of the council's typical 24 seats.
  • Appointees are dominated by tech industry figures, including Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Michael Dell, Jensen Huang, Sergey Brin, and Marc Andreessen.
  • Two women were appointed, Oracle executive vice chair Safra Catz and AMD CEO Lisa Su.
  • Only one appointee is an academic, UC Santa Barbara physicist John Martinis.
  • The list also includes figures from crypto and nuclear startups, such as Fred Ehrsam, David Friedberg, Bob Mumgaard, and Jacob DeWitte.
  • The executive order sets the panel to expire two years after issuance, giving it roughly ten months remaining from now, and it criticizes ideological dogmas in science as a growing threat.

Sources