Mamdani invests in tech capacity to “solve real problems”

Yesterday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled the Public Interest Technology (PIT) Crew. This new unit in NYC government will hire dozens of tech specialists charged with making the city services work better for the public. Mamdani said:

In 2026, nearly all of the services city hall offers New Yorkers are dispensed through digital platforms…New Yorkers should not be forced to navigate systems that are confusing, outdated and burdened by bureaucracy. The PIT Crew turns that model on its head. These teams will move quickly and deliberately to solve real problems, make City government easier to use, deliver for working New Yorkers and advance our agenda of affordability and public excellence.

Credit: City of New York

This is a big deal for three reasons: First, it tells us much about Mamdani’s closely-watched approach to governing. Second, when it sometimes feels like tech is just making our lives harder, it offers a model for how it can be used to make life easier. Third, it provides a model of how progressives can reclaim tech in a post-DOGE era.

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When is a technology office “not about technology”?

PIT Crew will be led by Lisa Gelobter, the Chief Technology Officer of NYC. Committing fully to the automotive bit, the announcement took place at a Go-Kart race track in Coney Island.

Mamdani and Gelobter. Credit: City of New York.

People we spoke with in the NYC government emphasized that PIT Crew was not primarily about tech, bit on delivering on Mamdani’s core priorities on housing, childcare, consumer and worker protection. Mamdani also framed the investment in broader terms, emphasizing improving the experience of government.

But this work is not just about making city government more efficient. It is about improving the way that government works…Every confusing step and every dead-end portal makes it more difficult for government to deliver for New…