The New York City mayoral debate turned into a Shark Tank pitch for tech CEOs, as Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo tried to woo the countries' wealthiest.
Assemblyman Mamdani, the Democratic frontrunner for the NYC mayoral race, said affordability is the key to attracting more tech CEOs to the city.
On Thursday, October 16, candidates, including Mamdani, Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, were asked how they would convince tech leaders, who are concerned about increased corporate taxes, to build their companies in NYC during the first debate of the campaign.
The democratic socialist, who has campaigned for raising taxes on the city's most profitable corporations to fund public services like transportation and childcare, did not address his tax hike and instead leaned on his affordability agenda and said CEOs will come if prospective employees can afford to live in the city.
"We are going to make this city more affordable, so the workers who want to work at those companies can actually be able to do so," Mamdani said.
He added, "And we're going to ensure that this city continues to be one where we see businesses opening and also stay open."
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary held in June, was instead asked how he would persuade CEOs not to move their businesses out of New York due to the high cost of living.
Cuomo started by criticising the Democrats as he noted, "I understand that the far left has been raising taxes and making businesses feel like the enemy. We get it. That's gone."
"We're not socialists. It didn't work in Venezuela, didn't work in Cuba, didn't work here. We know that we have to work with businesses," he shared.
Cuomo was New York's governor from 2011 to 2021. He stepped down from the position after he was accused of sexual harassment.
Notably, the NYC election will take place on November 4.
