Trump Names Thiel Aide as Deputy CTO

President Donald Trump has named Michael Kratsios to serve as his deputy chief technology officer and deputy assistant to the president, according to multiple reports. Kratsios previously served as chief of staff at Thiel Capital, an investment firm founded by Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, a prominent backer of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. 

The hiring, first reported by Politico and confirmed by TechCrunch, represents one of the Trump administration’s most prominent technology personnel decisions to date. The administration has yet to name a permanent CIO to replace Tony Scott, who left the government in January.

As TechCrunch reports: “The deputy CTO role was last held by Alexander Macgillivray, a former general counsel at Twitter. The role of White House chief technology officer, previously held by former Googler Megan Smith, has yet to be filled. The CTO works with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on a broad mandate of issues involving data, innovation and technology policy.”