Friday, May 9, 2025

May 09, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Friday, May 9, 2025 

Welcome to another Friday edition of the Tech:NYC Digest, featuring our favorite five highlights in New York tech this week.

Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

The things all New Yorkers should know but most don’t (Curbed)

  • If you ever needed a “megacollection of scraps of wisdom one accrues over a lifetime of living in New York,” look no further. 

    • From how to get into Via Carota to asking your local pizza place to sell you dough to make pizza at home to the best place in the city to have a difficult conversation, here’s what all New Yorkers should know. 💭

Governor Kathy Hochul signs NY FY 2026 budget into law (ABC News Albany)

  • Gov. Hochul’s new $254 billion budget for NY’s 2026 fiscal year has a number of wins for NY tech, including a $90 million expansion of Empire AI. 

    • Read Tech:NYC’s full statement following the passage of the budget here.

    • In related news, this week team Tech:NYC, along with 24 of our member companies, went to Albany for our team’s largest lobby day yet, holding 34 meetings with state legislators and their staff. Check out the highlights here. ☑️

Tech is driving the NYC economy, new report finds (The CITY)

  • This week, we dove into a new report produced by Tech:NYC and the Center for an Urban Future that highlights how tech is the engine driving the NYC economy. But the role of tech companies in the city’s economy remains the best-kept secret in New York. 

    • “The tech industry has received virtually no attention in this year’s mayoral race,” writes Greg David.

    • “The city boasts at least three news publications primarily focused on covering the real estate industry, yet there isn’t a single publication focusing on tech in New York.” ✍️ (Does the Tech:NYC Digest not count?!)

The Knicks do the improbable (again), and New York City loves it (New York Times)

  • The New York Knicks stunned the defending champions Boston Celtics with two consecutive 20-point comeback wins in the NBA playoffs, igniting massive celebrations outside Madison Square Garden. Defying expectations, the Knicks’ resilience has revived the passion of the city’s basketball fans, who have eagerly awaited a championship since 1973. 🏀

    • Here’s hoping we didn’t just jinx it! 🤞

Mother’s Day in NYC guide (TimeOut New York)

  • Don’t forget — Sunday is Mother’s Day. Time to treat a mom to a perfect day in NYC. Check out this guide on the best flower shops, brunch spots, and gifts to help make the day special! 🌷 

Your AI-generated cartoon of the week, conceived entirely by humans.

  • Tech:NYC prompted ChatGPT to create a black-and-white one-panel cartoon.

    • The concept for the cartoon was entirely thought of by a human, and a human put on the finishing touches manually. But AI drew the bulk of it.

Listen up: here’s this week’s cartoon. Click on the image for a bonus NYC story!


Submit your own human-conceived, AI-generated cartoon to [email protected] for a chance to be featured in an upcoming Friday Digest!

Listen to a mother this weekend, New York! 👂

Any feedback or suggestions of things to add? Get in touch here.
Was this digest forwarded to you? Sign up to receive it directly here.