David Sacks and his company, Craft Ventures, sold over $200 million worth of crypto assets and related stocks before he took on his role as White House AI and Crypto Czar.
The White House confirmed Sacks’ crypto divestment in a recent memorandum. It confirmed the move was part of efforts to avoid potential conflicts of interest during his tenure as Crypto Czar.
Notably, part of this role includes helping the U.S. government develop a crypto regulatory framework at the federal level.
Sacks’ Direct Crypto Divestment Details
To ensure he would not benefit personally from this effort, he liquidated his direct crypto holdings and those managed by Craft Ventures worth over $200 million. Out of the total divestments, the statement acknowledged $85 million to be his personal stake.
He completed most of the crypto sales before Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20 and others a few days later.
For instance, before Trump’s inauguration, he sold his direct crypto holdings, such as Bitcoin, Solana, and Ethereum. The memorandum confirmed that he liquidated his Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund (BITW) investment on January 22.
Notably, the BITW fund invests in top crypto assets, including the five digital assets the U.S. plans to hold as reserve assets: Bitcoin, XRP, Cardano, Solana, and Ethereum.
Other Crypto-Related Divestments
To avoid conflicts of interest, Sacks offloaded his shares in crypto-related companies, particularly Coinbase and Robinhood. Additionally, he sold his financial stake–as a limited partner–in crypto investment funds, including Blockchain Capital and Multicoin Capital.
Interestingly, Craft made a similar move, liquidating its position in Bitwise and Multicoin. Furthermore, he has also initiated the sale of his financial stakes in 90 other crypto-related VC funds, like Sequoia Funds.
Current Crypto Holdings
Despite these divestments, Sacks confirmed Craft still holds a financial interest in other crypto-focused funds, such as Lightning Labs and BitGo. His other crypto-related holdings include interests in AL Ventures and Beldore Capital Fund.
Notably, Sacks signed the White House memorandum detailing his crypto interest a day before Senator Elizabeth Warren urged him to confirm his divestment from crypto.
Recall that Senator Warren expressed concerns about Sacks’ exposure to crypto on March 6 following the creation of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) and digital asset stockpile.
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