Friday, July 24, 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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Mamdani’s tech ‘PIT crews’ draw 2,800 applicants ahead of first test (amNY)
City Hall’s new tech team is already a hot ticket. Nearly 2,800 applicants have applied for the 30 positions on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new Public Interest Technology (PIT) Crews, which will build digital tools to improve city services. 🧑💻
City officials say the strong response shows many tech workers are eager to tackle public problems, with more PIT Crew projects expected to be announced after the first rollout.
Want to throw your hat into the ring? Apply for a PIT Crew product or engineering role here.
Governor Hochul announces AI company Legora to create over 550 jobs through major New York City expansion (Governor’s Office)
We won’t object to this news: Legora, the agentic operating system for legal work, will expand its U.S. operations with a new nearly 100,000 sq. ft. office at 11 Madison Avenue in Manhattan, creating over 550 new jobs. ⚖️
Empire State Development will support the project with up to $10.5 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits in exchange for job creation and research and development commitments.
How a musician’s 500-pound piano is making music accessible in New York City (ABC New York)
That’s not your imagination — yes, there’s a concert pianist pushing a grand piano around New York City (and he still walks faster than most tourists). 🎼
Kristopher Hull wheels a 500-pound piano across Manhattan, stopping to perform free classical music for anyone who wants to listen (or even play).
Hull says his mission is to make Mozart and Chopin accessible outside expensive concert halls, turning ordinary streets into impromptu performances.
Together with Bilt 🤝
New Yorkers spend more on rent than almost anyone. For a long time, that money just disappeared every month.
Bilt changes that — earn points on rent and mortgage payments wherever you live, then redeem them for flights, hotels, Lyft rides, Amazon purchases, or future housing payments. Rated the most valuable points in the industry.
The rise of the everything-but-news newsstand (New York Magazine)
New York’s newsstands are getting a second act by selling a lot less news and a lot more creativity. ☕
As physical newspaper sales decline, some kiosks are reinventing themselves as espresso bars, Jamaican patty shops, specialty snack stands, and even zine stores.
A former Bryant Park newsstand recently reopened as an Italian café, while other operators are experimenting with healthier food and unique products to survive.
City leaders are considering loosening decades-old rules that could make it easier for more newsstands to evolve beyond candy, soda, and cigarettes.
NYC is shutting down more than 20 miles of streets to cars for ‘New York’s biggest block party’ (Secret NYC)
Traffic is taking a vacation this summer too. Summer Streets kicks off tomorrow, closing more than 20 miles of roads across all five boroughs to cars and opening them to walkers, runners, and cyclists every Saturday.
Along with the car-free routes, expect free fitness classes, public art installations, live entertainment, and discounted Citi Bike rides.
More than 500,000 people took part last year, and the event returns over five Saturdays through Aug. 22, with each borough getting its chance to take over the streets.
Take a stroll this weekend, New York! 🚶
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