Friday, October 17, 2025

October 17, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Friday, October 17, 2025 

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

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‘The Office’ star trades Dunder Mifflin for fintech madness in Ramp’s wild challenge (New York Post)

  • Brian Baumgartner — better known as Kevin from The Office — has a new gig as “CFO for a day.” 💼 In a humorous stunt with (Tech:NYC member) Ramp CEO Eric Glyman, Baumgartner spent 50 hours manually processing expense reports to showcase how fintech automates the task. 

    • Glyman says Ramp now powers over 50,000 businesses and $100 billion in annual transactions, helping eliminate the pain of traditional expense management.

    • Even The Rizzler got in on the action.


5th annual MTA collectibles pop-up shop bridges a community of creatives (News 12)

  • Subway lovers lined up for hours to snag a piece of New York City history. 🚇 The MTA’s annual memorabilia pop-up featured everything from vintage signs to salvaged R46 bucket seats, with prices ranging from $85 to $25,000. 

    • There was even a celeb sighting. 👀


A gathering of Wikipedians (New York Times)

  • More than 350 editors will gather at Civic Hall this weekend to edit, mingle, and debate, like only Wikipedians can. 🧠

    • The 12th annual WikiConference North America, themed “Wiki World’s Fair,” celebrates New York City’s 400th anniversary and the local Wikimedia community. 

    • Executive director Pacita Rudder says editors range in age from 16 to 88, united by curiosity and a shared commitment to neutrality, even when arguing about whether Civic Hall is technically in Union Square.


Celebrate 75 years of Wollman Rink and help break a world record! (New York Family)

  • Central Park’s beloved rink is marking its milestone with free skating and a Guinness World Record attempt. ⛸️

    • On Oct. 25, 600 skaters will try to top the 2014 record for the world’s largest ice skating lesson. 

    • The 30-minute session will be led by Wollman’s instructors and open to families and skaters of all ages. 


Wait, when did the Upper East Side get cool? (Wall Street Journal)

  • Once dismissed as sleepy and old-school, the Upper East Side is suddenly the city’s buzziest neighborhood. ☕🏙️ Trendy restaurants like Café Commerce, Le Veau d’Or, and Lucia Pizza are drawing crowds from downtown, while new shops and social clubs fill Lexington and Madison Avenues. 

    • Younger residents are now flocking to more affordable east-of-Third apartments, while influencers queue up at Bemelmans Bar, Ralph’s Coffee, and Café Maud.

    • But let’s be honest, the OG UES’ers always knew the neighborhood was cool.

That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday Five — wishing you a weekend of fintech fun, frosty spins, and cool gatherings on the UES. 😎

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