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<\/p>\n Read in app<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n This story is available exclusively to Business Insider Zohran Mamdani<\/a> is the next mayor of New York City, and the congratulations have started to roll in from some business leaders.<\/p>\n Mamdani’s progressive agenda, which includes freezing rent, establishing city-owned grocery stores, free child-care, and taxing New York’s millionaires a flat 2% tax, has put some on Wall Street<\/a> on edge. The 34-year-old mayor-elect has also said he doesn’t believe billionaires should exist.<\/p>\n Some high-profile business leaders came out against Mamdani prior to election night, throwing their support behind former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.<\/p>\n Billionaires like Bill Ackman, Mike Bloomberg, and Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia poured millions into pro-Cuomo groups<\/a>. On Monday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk<\/a> urged in a post on X to “VOTE CUOMO!”<\/p>\n Wall Street, however, isn’t unanimously anti-Mamdani. An analysis by Business Insider<\/a> previously found that back-office workers on Wall Street overwhelmingly donated to the democratic socialist.<\/p>\n Yasser Salem, a former McKinsey executive and Mamdani’s “CEO whisperer<\/a>,” told Business Insider that some executives are open to a few of Mamdani’s proposals, including free childcare, which could alleviate some of their employees’ financial burdens.<\/p>\n Here’s what business leaders are saying about New York City’s mayor-elect:<\/p>\n Jamie Dimon<\/p>\n Jamie Dimon said 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani could ‘grow into’ the job.<\/p>\n Bloomberg\/ Getty Images <\/p>\n In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said that he won’t make “quick decisions” about the bank’s future in New York because of Mamdani’s win.<\/p>\n “He’s a young man. Will he get good at it?” Dimon said about Mamdani making and implementing good policies. “I see a lot of people in big jobs, including political jobs. They grow into it.”<\/p>\n He added, “I’ve seen a lot of people. They kind of swell into the job. They get worse. They, you know, it all becomes about them.”<\/p>\n “I’m hoping he’s the good one and that will be important for the future in New York,” he said.<\/p>\n In his first press conference since being elected on Tuesday night, Mamdani mentioned the JPMorgan CEO and said, “I look forward to meeting with Jamie Dimon and meeting with anyone who is concerned about the future of our city, and is invested in the vitality of that same city.”<\/p>\n Bill Ackman<\/p>\n Bill Ackman, a Cuomo supporter, congratulated Mamdani on his win on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Patrick T. Fallon \/ AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n Bill Ackman, the CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, spent a total of $1.75 million over the last year to keep Mamdani from becoming mayor, including $500,000 during the Democratic primary and $1.25 million in the general election.<\/p>\n On Tuesday night, Ackman wrote on X: “Congrats on the win. Now you have a big responsibility. If I can help NYC, just let me know what I can do.”<\/p>\n He expanded on that message in a follow-up post on Wednesday, writing that he cares “enormously” about the city and that Mamdani’s win was “decisive.”<\/p>\n “While I did not support Mamdani for mayor and have concerns about the unintended and negative consequences of his policies, I want to do everything I can to help NYC regardless of who are mayor is,” Ackman wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ackman has been a vocal opponent of Mamdani and publicly encouraged Sliwa to drop out of the race.<\/p>\n Mamdani singled out Ackman on the stump, naming him among the billionaires who oppose his candidacy. He has also mocked<\/a> the hedge fund manager for his “1000-word tweets.”<\/p>\n Ackman is worth $8.44 billion, per Bloomberg.<\/p>\n Ken Griffin<\/p>\n Citadel CEO and founder Ken Griffin.<\/p>\n Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images <\/p>\n Billionaire Ken Griffin<\/a>, founder and CEO of hedge fund Citadel and market maker Citadel Securities, said he’s praying for the people of New York City.<\/p>\n “For the people of New York, I pray that the policies Mamdani uses to govern and lead New York are different than the talking points he used to win the mayoral race,” Griffin said Wednesday at the America Business Forum in Miami. “The people of New York deserve better.”<\/p>\n Griffin, one of the biggest donors to the GOP, was asked whether New York’s direction could prompt an exodus to cities like Miami. He moved Citadel’s headquarters<\/a> from Chicago to Miami in 2022, over concerns about rising crime.<\/p>\n “You can’t live in a city awash in violent crime and feel proud to call that place home,” he said, adding that Florida is a great place to live.<\/p>\n “I really hope that when Mamdani thinks about leadership, he thinks about the right role models,” Griffin added. “There’s a lot to copy from our great state of Florida and from this great city of Miami.”<\/p>\n James Whelan<\/p>\n New York’s increasingly expensive real estate is a major focus for the mayor-elect.<\/p>\n Gary Hershorn\/Getty Images <\/p>\n In a statement on Tuesday night, James Whelan, the president of the Real Estate Board of New York, said: “We congratulate Mayor-elect Mamdani on his victory.”<\/p>\n He added: “REBNY is prepared to work with the next mayor to address the issue of housing affordability and other challenges facing our city.”<\/p>\n
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