David Sacks blasts ‘Out of control cabal’ against Sriram Krishnan

David Sacks

, the President-elect’s nominee for

White House AI and Crypto Czar

, has launched a scathing attack on critics targeting Sriram Krishnan, calling the backlash a “cabal” driven by misinformation and divisive agendas. Sacks took to X (formerly Twitter) and said, "This whole cabal against Sriram is totally out of control. There’s no self-serving agenda whatsoever here, nor character flaws. We should celebrate people like Sriram who are going to leave so much $ on the table to serve the country. Enough of this nonsense.”

The controversy erupted last week after Donald Trump nominated Krishnan, an Indian-American entrepreneur, as senior policy advisor for

Artificial Intelligence

.
Social media backlash quickly followed, fueled by far-right commentators like Laura Loomer. The criticism ranged from immigration fears to baseless allegations about Krishnan’s US citizenship and supposed political contributions to Kamala Harris.

Sacks labels backlash a ‘Division grift’
In a series of tweets, Sacks tore into the criticisms, suggesting they were part of a calculated effort to derail the conversation around pressing issues like illegal immigration. He wrote, “A recap of the past few days: A woman was burned alive by an illegal migrant on the NY Subway. The whole country was unified in its outrage. Everyone wants to seal the border and stop migrant crime."

Then the online conversation suddenly shifted to a non-existent threat of unlimited H1Bs by attacking a tech appointee who has never advocated for that position, Sacks noted. "His remit doesn’t even include immigration."
"When I corrected the record, the lies just shifted, including to some nasty attacks that he wasn’t a US citizen, and a false accusation that he contributed to Kamala Harris. Hard to say what’s going on here, but it seems like a division grift if I’ve ever seen one."

Sacks further criticized the misplaced outrage over employment visas compared to the broader issue of illegal immigration. “Number of illegal aliens/year: 3+ million. Number of employment visas/year: 140k. As a start, maybe we should focus on the 95% where we all agree,” he wrote on X.

Trump’s vision for AI leadership
Announcing the appointment last week, Donald Trump said Krishnan would play a pivotal role in advancing US leadership in artificial intelligence. Trump said, “Working closely with David Sacks, Sriram will focus on ensuring continued American leadership in AI, and help shape and coordinate AI policy across Government, including working with the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.”
Krishnan, who began his career at Microsoft as a founding member of Windows Azure, is considered a rising star in the tech world. Trump’s decision to pair him with Sacks reflects a commitment to leveraging private-sector talent for public policy.

The immigration debate reignited
Although Krishnan’s role is unrelated to immigration, his appointment has sparked renewed discussion about the US visa system. Critics have tied his nomination to concerns over

H1B visas

and the longstanding green card backlog disproportionately affecting countries like India.
According to the Immigration Act of 1990, every country is allocated an equal number of green cards regardless of population size, creating a massive backlog for countries with larger populations. For instance, India, with a population of 1.4 billion, faces the same quota as the Marshall Islands, home to just 36,930 people.
This imbalance forces skilled immigrants from India to endure decades-long waits for green cards, restricting their ability to work, travel, or settle permanently in the US Krishnan, along with figures like Sacks and Elon Musk, has been vocal about attracting global talent to strengthen the American economy, an argument that stands at odds with the recent criticism.
A divisive narrative
The backlash against Krishnan underscores the polarization surrounding Trump’s cabinet picks. Sacks, however, remains firm in his defense, portraying Krishnan as a patriotic figure making personal sacrifices to serve the country.
As Sacks put it: “We should celebrate people like Sriram who are going to leave so much $ on the table to serve the country.”