David Sacks

Businessman, Entrepreneur, Investor, Politician

South African-American Cape Town, South Africa

Quick Info

ProfessionBusinessman, Entrepreneur, Investor, Politician
NationalitySouth African-American
Date of Birth25/05/1972
Age54 years
BirthplaceCape Town, South Africa
Full NameDavid Oliver Sacks

Latest News about David Sacks

26/03/2026

David Sacks stepped aside from his temporary role as White House AI and crypto czar after completing the standard 130-day term for a special government employee. He remained involved in the administration by moving into a co-chair position on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, where his remit broadened beyond AI to a wider set of technology issues.

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Bio/Wiki

SummaryDavid Oliver Sacks is a South African-American businessman, author, politician, and investor best known for senior roles in the PayPal era of Silicon Valley, founding the enterprise social network Yammer (acquired by Microsoft for $1.2 billion), and co-founding venture capital firm Craft Ventures. He served as White House AI and crypto czar and later moved into a co-chair role on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Educational Qualification(s)

UndergraduateBachelor of Arts in Economics, Stanford University (1994)
GraduateJuris Doctor, University of Chicago Law School (1998)
SecondaryMemphis University School

Personal Life

Family BackgroundBorn to a Jewish family in Cape Town, South Africa. Relocated to the United States at age five, settling in Memphis, Tennessee. Inspired by his entrepreneurial grandfather who founded a candy factory.

Family

Birthplace of FamilyCape Town, South Africa

Career

1999-2002Joined Confinity (later renamed PayPal) as first product leader and Chief Operating Officer. Played pivotal role in transforming PayPal into a global leader in online payments. PayPal IPO in 2002.
2006-2012Founded Geni.com and incubated Yammer. As Founder and CEO of Yammer, grew the company to approximately $60 million in sales and 500 employees, with over eight million enterprise users. Yammer acquired by Microsoft in 2012 for $1.2 billion.
Served as interim CEO of Zenefits for ten months.
Co-founded Craft Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund.
Angel InvestmentsFacebook, Uber, SpaceX, Palantir Technologies, Airbnb, and more than 20 unicorns including Slack.
Developed and produced the biopic 'Dalíland' about artist Salvador Dalí.
Appointed White House AI and crypto czar by President Donald Trump in December 2024.
Became Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Member of the 'PayPal Mafia,' a group of PayPal alumni who became influential figures in Silicon Valley
2. Pioneer of 'Bottom-Up SaaS' approach combining product-led growth with B2B sales
3. Yammer was one of the first SaaS startups to apply consumer growth tactics to enterprise software
4. Co-founder of All-In Podcast
5. Author and producer of the biopic 'Dalíland' (2023)
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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