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President-elect Donald Trump made two nominations Wednesday that will shape significant parts of his administration\u2019s tech enforcement, if confirmed by the Senate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Former Republican Securities and Exchange Commissioner Paul Atkins\u00a0is Trump\u2019s pick<\/a> to lead the agency, replacing Biden-appointed chair and crypto foil Gary Gensler<\/a>. The selection of Atkins, who co-chairs the Token Alliance at the Digital Chamber, a group dedicated to the use of digital assets, suggests a sharp divergence from Biden-era crypto policy. In his announcement, Trump says Atkins \u201crecognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Trump is borrowing a favorite term of Marc Andreessen\u2019s in with his reference to \u201cLittle Tech\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In his announcement on Truth Social, Trump writes that, \u201cBig Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!\u201d Trump is borrowing a favorite term of Marc Andreessen\u2019s in with his reference to \u201cLittle Tech.\u201d Andreessen \u2014 a venture capitalist and crypto supporter who publicly backed Trump in the election<\/a> \u2014 has pushed for the recognition of a contrast between policies that benefit startups<\/a> versus the largest tech players.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Slater has historically worked across the aisle, having served as an attorney advisor to former Democratic FTC Commissioner Julie Brill (who now works as Microsoft\u2019s chief privacy officer). Her history working for Vance \u2014 who has publicly praised Biden\u2019s FTC Chair Lina Khan<\/a> for her aggressive approach toward tech \u2014 suggests Big Tech is likely to remain a key target of antitrust scrutiny in the years to come.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n