Michael Kratsios: Inside the White House’s AI Strategy
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Michael Kratsios has seen the AI boom from both sides: as COO of Scale AI and inside the White House. Today, as the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, he helps shape America’s national strategy on AI, science, and emerging technology. At Startup School 2026, he sat down with YC's head of public policy, Luther Lowe, to talk about how Washington makes technology policy, why the White House supports open-source AI, and why little tech needs a seat at the table. Transcript: https://www.ycrootaccess.com/p/michael-kratsios-inside-the-white Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply Work at a startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs Chapters: 00:00 — Michael Kratsios on AI Policy and Public Service 02:38 — From Tech to the White House 04:39 — How Technology Policy Actually Gets Made 05:51 — The White House on Open Source AI 08:28 — How Washington Sees AI Differently 09:53 — Regulating a Technology That Changes Every Six Months 11:37 — Which AI Risks Are Overblown? 13:03 — Giving Little Tech a Seat at the Table 17:31 — Regulation Without Creating Incumbent Moats 18:01 — Born Free vs. Born in Captivity Technologies 20:46 — What Working in the White House Is Actually Like 25:56 — A New Golden Age of American Science 31:32 — Quantum, Congress, IP, and What Comes Next 37:54 — Why Technologists Should Consider Public Service
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