qwant news | Trump appoints Nvidia's Jensen Huang, AMD's Lisa Su, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, and more to science and technology advisory committee
President Donald Trump has revived the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and filled it with a roster that leans heavily toward industry leaders rather than the traditional academy‑driven membership of past councils. Thirteen members have been announced so far, including high‑profile CEOs such as Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Lisa Su of AMD, and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, alongside other business figures like Marc Andreessen, Sergey Brin, Safra Catz, Michael Dell, and Larry Ellison. The council can eventually grow to a maximum of 24 members, with the existing Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Michael Kratsios, and Special Advisor for AI & Crypto, David Sacks, already on staff.
In the executive order that re‑established PCAST, the White House emphasizes the strategic importance of “transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced biotechnology.” The order frames the council’s role as a national‑security imperative, charging it with guiding American dominance in science and technology, informing policy on the economy, the workforce, and homeland security, and providing the president with technical information needed for public‑policy decisions. While the council’s mandate is broad, critics have noted the paucity of academic researchers, professors, and career scientists among the appointees, arguing that the heavy CEO presence may skew advice toward corporate interests.
Supporters of the business‑centric lineup argue that CEOs of major tech firms are uniquely positioned to cut through bureaucratic inertia and translate cutting‑edge research into practical, market‑ready innovations. Proponents point to Jensen Huang’s leadership in AI hardware and Lisa Su’s work on high‑performance computing as examples of the expertise the council now possesses. Nonetheless, the debate continues over whether this shift away from a traditionally scholarly advisory body will yield the balanced, evidence‑based guidance needed to steer the United States through the rapidly evolving technological landscape.






