Zohran Mamdani’s NYC Tech Team Is What DOGE Should Have Been
The mayor of New York City has assembled a crew of Silicon Valley and United States Digital Service veterans to overhaul city services with better software.
In an unusual setting, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched a tech initiative called Public Interest Technology Crews, resembling a go-kart race around Coney Island's Luna Park. This program will feature five "game-changing" teams composed of engineers and designers who aim to transform how New Yorkers interact with city services through innovative apps.
Mayor Mamdani envisions raising expectations for what government can deliver, a sentiment reminiscent of Barack Obama's chief technology officer Todd Park's 2014 pitch for the US Digital Service.
The US Digital Service, which survived the Trump administration and continued under the Biden term, aimed to bring top Silicon Valley talent to the executive branch to address outdated and inefficient IT systems with user-centric software. However, in 2025, Elon Musk and his controversial team disrupted the agency, leading Mamdani to create her PIT Crews initiative, which embraces Silicon Valley expertise while maintaining a skeptical stance towards Big Tech.
Mamdani's initiative draws inspiration from the original USDS ethos but with a modern twist, focusing on skepticism towards Big Tech and a more adversarial approach. The mayor's charisma and the potential for creating software that doesn't serve advertisers, the military, or the interests of billionaires make the PIT crew initiative attractive for mid-career tech professionals seeking a different challenge.
Lisa Gelobter, appointed as the city's chief technology officer, brings her engineering mindset and experience working with the US Digital Service, particularly at the Department of Education. She is enthusiastic about recapturing the energy and essence of the USDS, which included a strong cultural norm of wearing jeans to work. Gelobter and her team have hired two USDS veterans, Luke Farrell and Maya Israni, to lead the PIT crew program.
The first project of the PIT crew, a "click-to-cancel" regulation, aims to penalize companies that make it difficult for consumers to cancel subscriptions or ongoing payments. This project is seen as a symbolic stand-in for Mamdani's fight against self-interested consultants and inefficient contractors, directly affecting people's lives and potentially saving $160 million for New Yorkers.
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