Mamdani taps Lina Khan for New York economic development post
The former FTC chief and Big Tech antagonist will chair New York City’s Economic Development Corporation board.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Lina Khan, the former federal antitrust enforcer known for taking on Amazon and other tech giants, has been picked to help steer New York City’s economic strategy.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani named Khan chair of the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s board of directors, Deadline reported. The move puts one of the country’s best-known critics of corporate concentration into a prominent city role more than six months into Mamdani’s administration.
Mamdani also said Anthony Shorris, a former deputy mayor and city official, will run the EDC as chief executive.
A left turn at City Hall
Deadline described Khan’s appointment as a surprise and another sign of a leftward shift in the government of the nation’s largest city.
In a statement announcing the appointment, Mamdani said Khan has fought “exploitation and dishonesty” in courts and classrooms and has offered “the blueprint for a government that delivers for working people.”
The mayor said Khan would guide the administration’s economic development work toward “a new era of opportunity” and keep justice at the center of the city’s efforts.
Khan said in her own statement that the EDC has an important part to play in making sure New York’s economy grows in ways that make the city more affordable, efficient and resilient. She said she looks forward to working with the administration to make life “materially better for New Yorkers.”
From Amazon critic to city power player
Khan became a national name in 2017 after her Yale Law School thesis argued that Amazon functioned as a monopoly, Deadline reported. She later led the Federal Trade Commission, where she brought antitrust cases against Amazon and other Big Tech companies.
At the FTC, Khan argued that large technology firms had been permitted to gather too much power, according to Deadline. Her tenure made her a central figure in the broader push to scrutinize corporate dominance in digital markets.
Her move to the EDC gives Mamdani a high-profile ally as he tries to carry out an economic agenda that has already drawn scrutiny from business leaders.
Mamdani was elected last fall on a Democratic Socialist platform. Deadline reported that he has pledged new services including free buses, city-backed grocery stores and rent freezes.
Business leaders have criticized the mayor’s plans, according to Deadline, saying they fear his policies could push major companies out of New York. Deadline reported that no broad corporate exodus has happened so far.
The appointment also comes as the city continues its post-pandemic rebound. Deadline reported that commercial occupancy, retail spending and public transit use have been gradually moving back toward pre-Covid levels after several difficult years.
With Khan chairing the EDC board and Shorris taking the CEO job, Mamdani is putting two closely watched figures at the center of the city’s economic machinery.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.