⚖️Former FTC Chair leads Mamdani's team

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Lina Khan Joins Mamdani’s Transition Team

After Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral race, his campaign announced that former FTC chair Lina Khan will serve as one of four co-chairs on the transition team. Khan, a long-time critic of corporate monopolies, described Mamdani’s win as a rejection of “outsized corporate power and money.” The appointment signals a sharp policy pivot for New York City, especially given Mamdani’s record of pushing for higher taxes on millionaires and tighter regulation of delivery platforms. Khan joins leaders from major nonprofits and city administration under transition director Elana Leopold.

A Populist Shift with Antitrust Teeth

Khan’s inclusion represents more than symbolism — it’s a clear signal to Wall Street and Big Tech that Mamdani intends to govern with a strong antitrust and pro-worker agenda. The move also marks Khan’s return to policymaking after a high-profile but controversial run at the FTC, where she attempted to curb the power of tech giants through merger challenges and stricter oversight. For the business community, this pairing suggests a local administration willing to confront corporate consolidation head-on, with potential ripple effects across sectors from gig work to real estate to venture capital.

Rethinking Growth in a Scrutinized Market

For startup founders, Mamdani’s win underscores a growing regulatory realignment — one that prizes fair competition and local economic resilience over hypergrowth and consolidation. Founders operating in regulated industries should anticipate more scrutiny on market dominance, labor practices, and pricing power, even at the city level. The path forward is to build transparency and fairness into business models early, aligning with the populist momentum that policymakers like Mamdani and Khan embody. In this climate, startups that grow through partnerships, not monopolization, will have both public and political tailwinds.

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