00:00Will this mayor be a good mayor for your industry in New York City?
00:04Listen, I think we don't know.
00:06I think what's good for New York tends to be good for tech here.
00:11Zorn Mamdani ran on a campaign of making New York affordable.
00:16He ran on a campaign that really celebrated a lot of what people love about New York.
00:22People love to be out in the streets.
00:24So if people want to be here, if young people want to be here,
00:27the tech companies will continue to want to be here.
00:30And clearly, we heard loud and clear yesterday that a lot of young people want Zorn Mamdani to be mayor.
00:36There are a lot of tech workers who voted for him.
00:38Of course, you know, that's the bull case, right?
00:41The bear case, of course, is that you're going to have someone who is anti-business.
00:47I hope that's not the case.
00:49But there's so many unknowns right now.
00:51Julie, you said that a lot of the technology industry turned out and voted for him.
00:57Voter turnout was a critical data point overnight.
01:00What's your reaction to that data point?
01:03Listen, as a practical matter, I think more people voting always better.
01:07So we're really glad to see that was the case.
01:09And in fact, even as early as the primary, months ago, the data were very clear that people who worked in tech were donating a lot of money to Zorn Mamdani's campaign.
01:21So it's not a surprise.
01:22You know, we can quickly or easily, I should say, draw a line to understand that a lot of tech workers, young tech workers, did vote for him yesterday.
01:31Clearly, you know, so much about Zorn's campaign, I think, resonated with people in the tech industry.
01:36It had the flavor of a startup.
01:39It really disrupted the status quo of politics in New York.
01:44And I think that resonated with a lot of people who work in tech.
01:47Julie, there is always a difference, of course, between policy platform in the context of a campaign.
01:55And then policy platform when in office.
01:58But the consensus seems to be that Mr. Mamdani is in favor of sort of pro-housing revisions to the city's charter.
02:07Right. Making housing available and more affordable.
02:10Technology, as a sector, tends to have higher pay and perhaps, you know, apply to a higher to middle income earning bracket.
02:24Are they really going to be focused on a policy around affordable housing?
02:29Well, I think that's a really great question.
02:31And in fact, the organization I run, Tech NYC, put out research with Zillow just maybe a year ago that showed that even people who have high paying jobs in tech are having a hard time affording housing in New York City.
02:44So it is not when we talk about affordable housing, it is it runs across the entire spectrum for so many people.
02:51It's unaffordable. And so I think that more housing is better for tech in New York.
02:56We've seen the same dynamic in San Francisco, of course, that the need to build more housing.
03:02So more people from across the economic spectrum can live here, build their careers here, grow their family here.
03:09I'm really incredibly in favor of the pro-housing initiatives that that that won yesterday.
03:16Is there an opportunity, Julie, for you to work with this mayor and this administration to bring a sort of closer relationship?
03:23Apologies between you and the administration.
03:25Absolutely. I think there's a lot of opportunity.
03:27I think the thing I'm most hopeful about is modernizing government, government efficiency.
03:33Zahra Mamdani is a very progressive candidate, now mayor, elect.
03:40And progress means government that works better.
03:43So we need to unleash technology in New York City government to work better for New Yorkers.
03:48But we also will need to be really careful when we work with his team or sometimes when we disagree with his team to ensure that the tech economy continues to thrive here, that businesses continue to grow here.
04:01This is the future of the economy in the world.
04:04Technology is, of course, and needs to also be the future of the economy in New York City.
04:09So we have to work together.
04:10We have no other choice.
04:13What do you disagree with his team on and what would you ask Mr. Mamdani to reconsider in terms of policy?
04:20Oh, that's a really that's a great question.
04:22I think that I don't know what we disagree with necessarily at this point, but I can tell you what we'll be watching for.
04:28Again, the use of technology in government, we think that's crucial.
04:32And I want to make sure that his team, that the incoming mayor understand that some of that, you know, requires some experimentation and requires being being open minded about new uses of technology.
04:46Also, you know, I think there are concerns that I hope don't don't come to be.
04:52But there are some concerns that there's kind of like an anti-business dynamic.
04:55We haven't talked about raising taxes.
04:56I haven't brought that up because you can't do that without the state.
04:59You can't do that without Albany.
05:02Obviously, a lot of people in tech are not would not be excited about more income tax, more corporate tax.
05:08So that that I'm sure will be an issue that comes up over the next four years.
05:12New York City Mayor-elect Zoram Mamdani, the 111th mayor of New York to be elected, is an avowed democratic socialist.
05:21And one of the big stories of this year, 2025, has been the move of key figures in the technology industry to put themselves in close proximity to President Trump and the administration currently in the White House.
05:36Are both of those things achievable at the same time for Mr.
05:39Mamdani to have relationships with key figures in your industry at the same time that they try and be be close to this president and the Republican Party?
05:48I think I think that's a really good question.
05:51And I think we're going to see I'd point out that most of the the particular tech leaders you're talking about are actually not New Yorkers, but they do run companies that have incredibly large presences in New York City.
06:02I think that I hope that let me say I hope that Zoram Mamdani and his team fundamentally understand that the future of our city's economy,
06:11the future of opportunity for New Yorkers is inextricably intertwined with the growth of the tech sector here.
06:18And if those jobs aren't here, they will go somewhere else.
06:21And if those resources aren't here, they will go somewhere else.
06:23And I I just have to believe I do believe that we can find a way to work together to ensure that all New Yorkers have the opportunity to benefit from the growth that that technology is bringing to the city.
06:36Let's end that there then, Julie, by asking what is the one first ask that you have for mayor elect Mumdani on behalf of your members and the technology industry in New York City?
06:48I think the first big ask will be to really drill down and figure out how we can find a way to use technology to make New York City government work better for New Yorkers.
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