NYC PIT Crew Launch
Coney Island , Brooklyn – July 13, 2026
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Speakers: Zohran Mamdani - Mayor, New York City; Lisa Gelobter - Commissioner and Chief Technology Officer, Office of Technology and Innovation; Dr. Rajiv Shah - President, The Rockefeller Foundation; Carmen De La Rosa - Council Member, New York City Council; Kristen Gonzalez - New York State Senator, Chair, Internet and Technology Committee.
Overview
New York City announced the creation of five Public Interest Technology (PIT) Crews within the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI). The multidisciplinary teams will work with city agencies to rapidly design and deploy digital services intended to improve public access to government, beginning with an online portal supporting the city’s new Click-to-Cancel consumer protection rule. The initiative combines city funding with philanthropic support from The Rockefeller Foundation and is intended to demonstrate a faster, user-centered model for delivering digital government services.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani: Applying Product Development to Government
Zohran Mamdani introduced the initiative by drawing an analogy with NASCAR pit crews, describing how highly coordinated teams transformed race strategy through specialization and continuous practice. He said New York City intended to bring the same philosophy to government through Public Interest Technology Crews.
He explained that each PIT Crew would include product managers, designers, software engineers, user researchers, and data specialists working directly with agencies to replace paper-heavy government processes with modern digital services. Rather than waiting years for traditional technology procurements, the teams would move from concept to implementation within months.
The Mayor said the first team would focus on implementing New York City’s newly adopted Click-to-Cancel rule by building an online complaint portal for residents who encounter businesses using difficult or deceptive subscription cancellation practices. The platform would both simplify consumer complaints and provide enforcement data for the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
He argued that improving digital government is not simply about efficiency but about rebuilding public trust. Every confusing government website or dead-end process weakens confidence in public institutions, while intuitive digital services demonstrate that government can effectively serve residents.
Mamdani concluded by encouraging experienced technologists to apply to join the PIT Crews, arguing that assembling strong multidisciplinary teams would substantially improve government performance and outcomes for New Yorkers.
Lisa Gelobter: Technology as a Strategic Public Asset
Lisa Gelobter described the launch as the beginning of a new direction for the Office of Technology and Innovation. She thanked the Mayor, Deputy Mayor Julia Kerson, the Rockefeller Foundation, and numerous partners for supporting the initiative.
She said OTI intended to treat technology as a strategic public asset, emphasizing user-first design and measurable outcomes rather than simply delivering software. Her objective, she said, was to transform how New Yorkers interact with government by making digital services simpler, faster, and more effective.
Drawing on experience in both the private sector and federal government, Gelobter said she had consistently worked on projects designed to democratize access and create systemic change. She argued that New York City could now apply those same principles through technology combined with public policy.
She also invited technologists interested in public service to apply for PIT Crew positions, describing the initiative as an opportunity to make a direct impact on millions of residents.
Dr. Rajiv Shah: Philanthropy as a Catalyst
Dr. Rajiv Shah said The Rockefeller Foundation supports initiatives that produce measurable improvements for vulnerable communities and viewed the PIT Crew program as an opportunity to strengthen public service delivery.
He described philanthropy as providing an initial “speed boost” that enables governments willing to innovate to deliver results more rapidly. Rather than celebrating symbolic victories, he said successful public-private partnerships improve everyday lives through better access to affordable housing, tax assistance, consumer protections, and other essential services.
To support the effort, Shah announced an initial commitment of more than $2 million from The Rockefeller Foundation and encouraged other philanthropic organizations to invest in similar collaborations with city government.
Carmen De La Rosa: Innovation as a Public Good
Carmen De La Rosa said the initiative reflected a vision of innovation centered on public benefit rather than technology for its own sake.
She noted that residents regularly seek assistance navigating complex city systems in order to access housing, employment, language services, and other essential government programs. The PIT Crew initiative, she said, represented an effort to close those accessibility gaps.
As Chair of the City Council Technology Committee, she argued that technology should remove barriers rather than create them, while also acknowledging the need to address longstanding inequities that have disproportionately affected many communities. She expressed support for collaboration between the City Council and the administration to modernize government services.
Kristen Gonzalez: Good Technology, Good Government
Kristen Gonzalez said effective technology policy should improve people’s lives, while effective government should make public services easier to access.
She argued that the PIT Crew initiative brought those two principles together by using technology to solve practical problems faced by residents. The first project, she noted, would create a reporting portal allowing consumers to report businesses violating the city’s subscription cancellation rules, strengthening enforcement while returning money to residents.
Speaking as a former technology product manager, Gonzalez encouraged technology professionals to consider careers in public service, arguing that applying technical expertise within government could produce meaningful public benefit.
Questions and Answers
During the media briefing, a reporter questioned whether allocating approximately $5.4 million to the initiative was justified given its focus on improving efficiency.
Zohran Mamdani responded that the first Click-to-Cancel project alone was projected to save New Yorkers more than $160 million annually. He argued that the investment should also be evaluated in terms of reducing frustration and time spent navigating difficult subscription cancellation processes, while noting that Rockefeller Foundation funding further strengthened the initiative.
Asked about implementation timelines, Mamdani said the first Click-to-Cancel product was expected to launch by the fall of 2026.
Lisa Gelobter added that agencies across city government were being invited to propose projects. Selection criteria would prioritize initiatives that directly serve New Yorkers, advance mayoral priorities, and have strong agency commitment. She emphasized that designing services around user needs would both improve outcomes and reduce waste by ensuring technology investments addressed genuine public requirements.
COMMENTARY
Mamdani invests in tech capacity to “solve real problems” — Don Moynihan on PIT Crew as a post-DOGE progressive model for state capacity
Decades in the making: New York City launches its PIT Crew! — BetaNYC traces ten years of advocacy for in-house civic tech
Mamdani takes City Hall tech for a spin with five new ‘PIT crews’ — amNewYork confirms $5.24M baselined, 30 hires, salary bands, no civil service exam
Mamdani’s new ‘PIT Crew’ tech teams to help New York agencies improve digital services — StateScoop’s govtech read on the launch
NYC Mayor Launches Tech Teams to Tackle Agency Issues — Government Technology, with Click to Cancel’s Oct. 1 effective date and $525 penalties
Mamdani forms Public Interest Technology crews to improve NYC government efficiency and affordability — ABC7 New York’s broadcast coverage
New York City Is Set to Hire a Swarm of Tech Experts — Inc. on the hiring push
RESOURCES
PIT Crew — job postings for product managers, engineers, designers, and researchers
Mayor Mamdani Launches “Public Interest Technology (PIT) Crew” — official announcement, July 13, 2026
Official transcript of the Luna Park announcement — City Hall’s own record of the event
DCWP release on the PIT Crew and Click to Cancel — the agency partnering on the first project
The Rockefeller Foundation on the PIT Crew launch — funder’s announcement of its $2M-plus commitment
Dr. Rajiv Shah — President, The Rockefeller Foundation
Council Member Carmen De La Rosa — Chair, City Council Committee on Technology
Senator Kristen Gonzalez — Chair, State Senate Internet and Technology Committee
BetaNYC — civic tech organization that pressed for in-house city digital capacity
tEQuitable — the company Lisa Gelobter founded before becoming NYC CTO