Lina Khan will co-chair the transition team for New York Mayor-elect Zahran Mamdani

After Zahran Mamdani won New York City mayor on Tuesday night, his campaign announced the former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission Lina Khan As one of the four co-chairs of the transition team.

Khan was an ally of Mamdani, Praise him In a New York Times op-ed about his outreach to small business owners. But her appointment to an official role on his transition team sends a message to Wall Street and the tech industry, whose most powerful players have already criticized Mamdani, a democratic socialist who Feathers ruffled From the technical elite Criticism of billionaires And suggestion 2% tax With income of more than $1 million.

“What we saw last night is that New Yorkers were not only electing a new mayor, they were clearly rejecting a policy in which the power and money of big corporations often ends up dictating our policies,” Khan said. letter Wednesday.

Khan called Mamdani’s victory “a clear mandate for change where New Yorkers can move forward, and where all workers and small businesses can thrive — not just survive.”

Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, as well as investors such as Bill Ackman and Mike Bloomberg, have spent millions of dollars opposing Mamdani and defending former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who finished second in the polls. He also gave DoorDash 1 million dollars To the pro-Cuomo super PAC. Mamdani platformHowever, it called for greater regulation of delivery applications and protection for its subcontracted gig workers.

Like Mamdani, Khan has enemies in high places. An outspoken critic of tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google, Khan moved to block several high-profile tech mergers during her time in the Biden administration. When these measures failed, many in Silicon Valley continued to hold Khan responsible Slow down Acquisition deal flow.

Even those who Supported The Biden-Harris presidential ticket, like LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and billionaire investor Vinod Khosla, general Regarding their criticism of Khan; In an interview with TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos last year, Khosla Khan’s description As “not a rational human being.”

Khan, A Mr At Columbia Law School, he described As “the nation’s leading antitrust champion” on Mamdani’s website Transfer site.

In addition to Khan, the other three co-chairs are Grace Bonilla, president and CEO of the nonprofit United Way in New York City; Maria Torres Springer, former First Deputy Mayor of New York City; and Melanie Hartzog, president and CEO of the nonprofit New York Foundling.

The four will be led by Ilana Leopold, a Mamdani campaign adviser who has held several senior roles in de Blasio’s mayoral administration.

“Lena is focused on preparing to help with the transition in economic policy and personnel,” Douglas Farrar, Khan’s spokesman, told TechCrunch.

Updated 11/5/25 at 2:20pm ET with comment from Douglas Farrar.