Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison join Marc Andreessen in White House science panel, deepening industry ties

Donald Trump has appointed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), alongside nine other tech figures. This marks a significant shift from the council's traditional composition of academics and engineers, signaling the administration's strategy to embed Silicon Valley influence in federal policy. The move follows a pattern of close White House-tech industry engagement, including regular dinners and policy pushes favoring the sector. Andreessen previously donated $2.5 million to a Trump-linked Super Pac and $4.5 million to his 2024 campaign, while Zuckerberg's Meta and Oracle executives have also made substantial contributions.

Jensen Huang (Nvidia), Sergey Brin (Google), Safra Catz (Oracle), David Friedberg, and Lisa Su (AMD) are among the named members, with more appointments expected. The council will focus on workforce impacts of emerging technologies and innovation, aligning with the administration's pro-tech agenda. This includes relaxing AI chip export controls, fast-tracking data center construction, and advocating for light-touch crypto regulation. The industry welcomed the policy framework favoring narrow laws and a crypto sector market structure bill, though criticism emerged over the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk.

The appointments underscore Silicon Valley's growing sway over Washington, with tech leaders now directly shaping science and technology policy, potentially accelerating industry-friendly regulations and investments.