Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor of New York City, announced that former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair Lina Khan will co‑lead his transition team. The move sparked instant reactions from the city’s tech giants, which had long clashed with Khan over her tough antitrust moves at the FTC.
Khan, 36, is best known for taking on big names like Meta, Amazon and Microsoft. While heading the FTC from 2021 to 2025, she pushed hard against mergers that she believed threatened competition, such as the halted Microsoft‑Activision deal and the blocked Kroger‑Albertsons merger. Her team also banned non‑compete clauses for workers moving jobs—an order later reversed in court.
When Mamdani’s press conference went off‑air on November 5, Khan appeared beside him and urged voters that New York needed a politics free from “outsize corporate power.” Her presence drew cheers but also raised alarms among Wall Street and Big Tech leaders. Companies such as Google, Meta and Amazon have large operations in the city and see Khan’s involvement as a warning shot.
Industry analysts say the announcement might shake up early discussions in the mayor’s office. “They’ll need to have a conversation or at least make their plans clear to companies that might be affected,” said Eric Soufer of Tusk Strategies.
Mamdani’s transition team now has four co‑chairs: Lina Khan, former deputy mayor Maria Torres‑Springer, nonprofit leader Grace Bonilla, and budget specialist Melanie Hartzog. Together they will shape the incoming administration’s economic and personnel strategies.
Khan’s past has also earned her support from smaller “Little Tech” startups that want a break from dominant rivals. Even some Republicans, like Vice President J.D. Vance and Senator Josh Hawley, praised her antitrust stance at a recent conference.
The mayor’s team aims to balance a strong push against corporate monopolies with the needs of New York’s business community. Whether Khan’s track record will help or hinder the city’s appetite for growth remains to be seen.
Source: New York Post
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