Antitrust crusader Lina Khan named chair of New York's Economic Development Corporation

Lina Khan, an antitrust crusader who targeted Big Tech companies during her run as head of the Federal Trade Commissioner, has been named chair of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

The appointment by Mayor Zohran Mamdani was a surprise, and the latest indication of the leftward shift of the government of the largest U.S. city.

In a statement, Mamdani said Khan “has fought exploitation and dishonesty in courtrooms and classrooms across the country, and given us the blueprint for a government that delivers for working people. As chair of the EDC board of directors, I know that Lina will not only steer our administration's economic development efforts toward a new era of opportunity, but ensure justice is the driving principle behind all of our work."

Along with Khan’s new role, Mamdani said former deputy mayor and city official Anthony Shorris would lead the EDC as CEO.

The EDC "has a vital role to play in ensuring that New York's economy is growing in ways that make our city more affordable, efficient and resilient," Khan said. "I look forward to working with the administration to advance this vision and make life materially better for New Yorkers."

Khan first hit the national radar in 2017 with her Yale Law School thesis, which argued that Amazon was a monopoly. At the FTC, she brought antitrust actions against Amazon and other Big Tech firms, arguing they had been allowed to amass undue power.

Her EDC appointment comes more than six months into Mamdani’s tenure. Elected last fall on a Democratic Socialist platform, the mayor has promised to deliver new services like free buses, city-subsidized grocery stores and rent freezes. Business leaders have been critical of him, voicing concerns that his moves would force large corporations to leave the city, though no wide-scale flight has taken place as of yet.

Commercial occupancy levels in the city, along with retail spending and public transit usage, have gradually been returning to pre-Covid levels after several difficult years due to the pandemic and other factors.