Friday, February 27, 2026
Welcome to another Friday edition of the Tech:NYC Digest, featuring our favorite five highlights in New York and tech this week.
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Is the rat war over? (The New Yorker)
After years of “rat wars,” sightings are down, and some New Yorkers are even starting to sympathize with their old foes. 🐀
One cool tidbit: Researchers are recording rats’ surprisingly advanced social behavior, using ultrasonic monitoring to listen to their “chatter” in parks and subways.
What’d they discover? Let’s just say rats indeed love rummaging through garbage bags.
How the New York Stock Exchange deploys Anthropic’s Claude (American Banker)
The New York Stock Exchange is putting AI to work behind the scenes. Not just as a chatbot, but as what its CTO calls more of a “collaborator than an assistant.” 🤖
Engineers are using Anthropic’s Claude to help write and test code, review SEC filings, classify news, and even build parts of a blockchain-based settlement ledger for tokenized equities.
But at an exchange that processes more than a trillion messages on peak trading days, resilience and oversight are critical, meaning humans are still accountable for the work AI produces.
Amtrak’s new 125-MPH ‘Airo’ trains are finally here — see inside the high-tech fleet before it hits NYC tracks next year (Secret NYC)
Those heading out of Moynihan Train Hall will soon be travelling with some speed. 💨 Following the launch of NextGen Acela last year, Amtrak has launched its new fleet of trains that can reach speeds of up to 125 MPH, featuring a dual-power system that allows them to switch between electric and diesel seamlessly.
The trains are scheduled to hit NYC tracks in 2027.
How to go to a Knicks game (Curbed)
Madison Square Garden is expensive, chaotic, and (apparently) full of secret tricks if you know where to look. 🏀
Fans share where to find lower-bowl value seats, which resale apps avoid surprise fees, and how patience can shave dollars off the price.
There’s also a stealth escalator near the Kith pop-up that skips the main rush.
A rare six planet alignment will be visible In NYC for one night only this February (Secret NYC)
Make sure to plan-et: Tomorrow night (February 28), New York gets a literal planet parade. 🪐 Six planets will be hanging out on the same side of the sky right after sunset.
Six planets will line up on one side of the sky shortly after sunset, with Venus and Jupiter being the easiest to spot.
Find an open western horizon — waterfront, promenade, beach, or friend with a rooftop — because Mercury disappears fast and the window is short.
New York was one of the top metros in the nation last month for tech job postings:
Check out Tech:NYC’s Jobs Board here, featuring 4,700+ NYC tech jobs from 400+ companies.
Hope your weekend is out of this world, New York! 🚀
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