Who Is Peter Thiel's Protégé, Michael Kratsios, Now Leading Trump's AI Strategy Amid Rising Tech Tensions With China
Benzinga (Tue, 01-Apr 4:11 AM)
Michael Kratsios, a former deputy to venture capitalist Peter Thiel and one of Silicon Valley's most influential tech policy figures, has taken charge of the U.S. government's AI strategy amid escalating competition with China's tech giants.
What Happened: Kratsios was confirmed by the Senate to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) last week.
His appointment comes as the Donald Trump administration intensifies its scrutiny of China's growing AI capabilities, especially following the emergence of DeepSeek—a Chinese AI startup that developed a powerful model at significantly lower costs than its U.S. counterparts.
Having served in the first Trump administration and later overseeing research initiatives at the Department of Defense, Kratsios is no stranger to navigating the intersection of national security ...
