Gerald Grant

Professor, Author, Co-Director BEKH and Director of CITOP at the Sprott School of Business, Carleton Univ. Board Chair, Connected Canadians,

[Ricardo @Ric_RTP]

Trump was about to sign the biggest AI executive order in history.

CEOs flew to Washington and the pens were ready.

But then ONE phone call killed the whole thing. And the guy who made that call literally owns 449 AI companies.

Here’s what happened:

On Thursday, every major tech CEO in America was either in Washington or on their way. Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Mark Zuckerberg, and more.

The White House had invited them to watch Trump sign an executive order that would have given the federal government up to 90 days of access to test the most powerful AI models before they were released to the public. It would have created a coordinated response to AI-enabled threats against banks, hospitals, and critical infrastructure.

The order had been in development for months. White House staff believed everyone was on board.

Then at some point, David Sacks called the President directly.

Sacks is the venture capitalist who served as Trump’s AI and crypto czar until March 2026. His firm Craft Ventures holds stakes in 449 companies with AI products.

The New York Times investigated his portfolio and found he remained invested in hundreds of AI companies despite divesting from some holdings. A government ethics expert at Washington University called his ethics waivers “sham waivers” that were “like a presidential pardon in advance.”

On Thursday morning, Sacks told Trump the executive order could slow AI development and hand China the lead. He argued that the voluntary review process could one day be made mandatory. His pitch was simple:

Regulate AI, lose the race.

Elon Musk called Trump with the same message. So did Mark Zuckerberg.

Three billionaires who collectively own or invest in the majority of America’s AI infrastructure called the President in the span of a few hours and told him NOT to regulate their industry.

Trump walked into the room where the ceremony was supposed to happen and told reporters he didn’t like the order. Pulled the plug on the spot.

Now here is the part that makes this truly insane:

The executive order was VOLUNTARY. Companies did not have to submit their models.

There was no licensing requirement, mandatory approval process, or penalties for non-compliance. The government was simply asking to look at frontier AI models before they went live so they could test for dangerous capabilities.

And even THAT was too much.

Politico reported that White House officials believed Sacks supported the order all the way through the review process earlier that week. He raised zero objections during the meetings.

Then on Wednesday night, he suddenly had concerns. By Thursday morning, the order was dead.

The draft leaked to Axios on Friday. Now every AI company in America is operating in a policy vacuum because nobody knows what rules apply.

The national security team that spent months writing the order got overruled in 12 hours by a phone call from a man who profits directly from the industry staying unregulated.

But the companies that killed it are the ones building the most powerful systems with the least oversight. Musk’s xAI and Zuckerberg’s Meta AI are both developing frontier models. And both called the President to make sure nobody gets to test those models before release.

David Sacks officially LEFT his White House role in March 2026. But on Thursday morning, one phone call from a private citizen with 449 AI investments was enough to override months of national security policy work and cancel a presidential executive order hours before it was signed.

Nobody elected David Sacks or can vote him out. And he just decided what the rules are for the most powerful technology on Earth...

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

@SizweLo Maponga is correct about the need for local creativity and entrepreneurship. However, individual effort need to be harnessed through well governed institutions and mutually beneficial networks that promote community prosperity and well-being. Individual effort is not sufficient.

[Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub Canada @BEKHCanada]

We had a great time last week bringing together students and researchers at @Carleton_U for our seminar!

It was exciting to be part of @SprottSchool's research seminar series and introduce students to the diverse approaches we’re taking in #BlackEntrepreneurship research.

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

@lisa_rapport @JGrantNeuro @OhioState @lisa_rapport thanks again for welcoming him to your fold.

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

@JGrantNeuro @OhioState Congratulations @JGrantNeuro!!

[Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub Canada @BEKHCanada]

Entrepreneurs noirs du Canada📣, marquez l’histoire avec nous ! Participez au sondage national sur l’entrepreneuriat noir au Canada.

Cliquez sur le lien suivant pour participer :
https://t.co/hDQTA3DIGT

#MoisdehistoiredesNoirs✊🏿

[Sprott School of Business at Carleton University @SprottSchool]

.@BekhCanada is celebrating Black History Month by launching a historic survey on Black entrepreneurship in Canada. Take part in this 20-minute survey to help identify the critical gaps, challenges and opportunities for Black entrepreneurs. https://t.co/6rOoMJJRRU

[Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub Canada @BEKHCanada]

Often, Black entrepreneurs are treated as if they fit a one-size-fits-all model, when in reality, theirexperiences can vary greatly based on their region, culture, and background. @DrJaredWesley #BEKHCanada

[Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub Canada @BEKHCanada]

1/3 Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with other Black business owners and add your business to our ecosystem map! If you’re a BEP funded organization, you won’t want to miss day two because we’ll will be hosting our next convening meeting then.

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

@rechievaldez @BekhCanada @KayabagaArielle @rechievaldez it was great having you and @KayabagaArielle visit us today at @BekhCanada. Thanks for your interest and support.

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

@HoCChamber @mgeist @GregFergus @HoCSpeaker Congratulations Greg.

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

@tobi Guardrails are not needed if builders build ethical and trustworthy systems. The past suggests we cannot leave it to builders only. AI can create much good. However, many of the systems already deployed are flawed, lack transparency, and are ethically challenged. Promoting EFRAID

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

@CarAdrianH Relentless digitalization of the customer interface is creating significant challenges for groups such as seniors, people with disabilities, and less digitally savvy people. I should also note that companies such as Wal-Mart are capturing digital images of shoppers at checkouts.

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

Very proud of @JGrantNeuro, winner of the ECP Poster Award.

[Society for Clinical Neuropsychology @APADivision40]

Did you miss the scientific poster sessions? Check out the work below by @JGrantNeuro, the winner of the ECP Poster Award, and Darius Vann, mentored by @lisa_rapport, the winner of the Student Poster Award! Be sure to find them at the conference to congratulate them! 🎉

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

Great work Gunjan and team.

[Gunjan Mansingh @MansinghGunjan]

@jamcoders A visit by Chronixx created excitement @fst_uwimona. The residential coding camp has 29 girls and 21 boys from 14 parishes in Jamaica. 4 lecturers, 11 Teaching Assistants, 7 Chaperones. Thanks to our 12 local partners and international partners the camp is free.

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

@CarAdrianH RIP Ewart! You will be missed.

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

Join us in Cairo.

[Sherif Kamel 🇪🇬 🇨🇦 @SherifHKamel]

Join us @AUC_Business for the next edition of Conf-IRM in May 2024-mark your calendar!

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

It is such a pleasure spending my time as Professor in Residence at the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean, Kingston, Jamaica. I enjoyed sharing and learning with UCC Faculty at their annual Faculty Writing Retreat.
#researchwriting #researchmetho…https://t.co/4ex3AKjkPB

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

In our recent Op-Ed in the Ottawa Citizen, Rob Collins and I encouraged the City of Ottawa's proposed service review committee to look beyond costs to measure value delivery. https://t.co/IjnNrKjNz0

[Gerald Grant @GeraldGrant]

It was such an awesome privilege today to host the Honourable Mary Ng, her colleagues Greg Fergus, Arielle Kayabaga, and Emmanuel Dubourg, and participants representing partner organizations involved in the Black Entrepreneurship Program at the Black Entr…https://t.co/k8w0EVN343