Following Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral election on Tuesday evening, his campaign revealed that former FTC chair Lina Khan will serve as one of four co-chairs on his transition team.
Khan has long supported Mamdani, commending his engagement with small businesses in a New York Times opinion piece. Her official role on the transition team signals a strong stance to Wall Street and the tech sector, both of which have already voiced opposition to Mamdani. As a Democratic socialist, Mamdani has unsettled tech industry leaders by criticizing billionaires and advocating for a 2% tax on income above $1 million.
“Last night, New Yorkers didn’t just choose a new mayor—they also made it clear they’re rejecting a political system dominated by excessive corporate influence and money,” Khan stated in a speech on Wednesday.
Khan called Mamdani’s win “a decisive call for transformation, where New Yorkers have opportunities to advance, and where workers and small businesses can prosper rather than merely survive.”
Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, along with investors Bill Ackman and Mike Bloomberg, each invested millions to campaign against Mamdani and support former governor Andrew Cuomo, who ultimately came in second. DoorDash also contributed $1 million to a super PAC backing Cuomo. In contrast, Mamdani’s platform called for stricter oversight of delivery platforms and better protections for gig workers contracted by these companies.
Khan, much like Mamdani, has made powerful adversaries. As a vocal opponent of major tech firms such as Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google, she attempted to halt several significant tech mergers during her time in the Biden administration. Even when these efforts did not succeed, many in Silicon Valley blamed Khan for slowing down acquisition activity.
Even some supporters of the Biden-Harris campaign, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and billionaire investor Vinod Khosla, have openly criticized Khan. In a conversation with TechCrunch’s editor-in-chief Connie Loizos last year, Khosla referred to Khan as “not a rational human being.”
Khan, who teaches at Columbia Law School, is described as “the country’s foremost antimonopoly advocate” on Mamdani’s transition website.
Alongside Khan, the other three co-chairs are Grace Bonilla, president and CEO of United Way of New York City; Maria Torres-Springer, former first deputy mayor of New York City; and Melanie Hartzog, president and CEO of New York Foundling.
The group of four will be overseen by Elana Leopold, a Mamdani campaign adviser who previously held senior positions in the Bill de Blasio administration.
“Lina is concentrating on preparing to support the transition, particularly in economic policy and staffing,” Khan’s spokesperson Douglas Farrar told TechCrunch.
Updated on 11/5/25 at 2:20 PM ET to include a statement from Douglas Farrar.
