A profile of White House OSTP Director Michael Kratsios, an ex-Peter Thiel aide who is among a handful of players steering the Trump administration's AI policy

Tech leaders must prepare for a White House that actively shapes AI and science policy through direct engagement.

In October 2026, White House OSTP Director Michael Kratsios orchestrated a "A New Golden Age" summit, bringing together tech titans including Jensen Huang, Elon Musk, Michael Dell, Satya Nadella, Lisa Su, and Sergey Brin. The event, held at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, honored these leaders with national medals of science or technology. During a pre-ceremony gathering, the executives discussed pressing industry issues such as compute scarcity and memory chip supply chain shocks, with Musk highlighting OpenAI's demand for compute and the significant profit margins of companies like Micron. Kratsios, a former Peter Thiel aide, has transformed the OSTP into a significant policy-driving force within the Trump administration, influencing national science and technology direction. The summit concluded with President Trump presenting the medals and expressing pride in the honorees' contributions, particularly noting SpaceX's successful astronaut return.

Michael Kratsios's elevation of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) signifies a shift towards the White House taking a more direct and active role in steering national technology development and regulation, particularly in AI. His background and methods suggest a strategy that leverages personal relationships with industry leaders to translate presidential priorities into tangible policy initiatives, potentially bypassing traditional bureaucratic channels.

This concentrated White House influence could reshape the competitive landscape for AI companies, dictating terms of access to resources, research directions, and regulatory frameworks. The personal involvement of figures like Kratsios indicates that future policy decisions may be heavily influenced by the administration's direct relationships with a select group of tech executives, rather than solely by broad industry consensus or independent regulatory bodies.