Friday, October 3, 2025

October 03, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Friday, October 3, 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.

Citation needed: Inside NYC’s Wikipedia community drama (Gothamist)

  • Behind the scenes of the famous free encyclopedia, New York’s Wikipedians are duking it out over edits, bias, and burnout. 📚

    • Disputes range from how to cover local history to policing misinformation, and tempers can run high in digital forums, but the energy is electric.

    • And through it all, New York remains a vibrant home for one of the internet’s most dedicated volunteer communities, driven by curiosity and pride in place.

30K runners retrace 9/11 hero’s path in NYC Tunnel to Towers race, raising millions for vets, families of fallen first responders (NY Post)

  • On Sept. 11, 2001, firefighter Stephen Gerard Siller strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back and raced on foot through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he lost his life saving others.

    • The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s 5K Run & Walk last week brought together thousands to retrace Stephen’s steps.

    • Proceeds from the race help the Tunnel to Towers Foundation provide free homes to fallen first responders’ families with young children and build “smart homes” for injured veterans.

This underground century-old NYC restaurant is one of the world’s most unique places to eat (Time Out New York)

  • A Prohibition-era dining spot hidden below street level just earned global recognition as one of the most unique eateries on earth. 🍽️ The Grand Central Oyster Bar earned one of Tripadvisor’s “Best of the Best” restaurants in the "One of a Kind" category for 2025, meaning it’s in the top 1% of restaurants across Tripadvisor’s 8 million listings.

    • The restaurant features vaulted ceilings and candlelit rooms that still whisper of its speakeasy past, and the menu blends old-school New York charm with modern flavors.

At a Queens surf school, kids’ confidence comes in waves (The New York Times)

  • A new generation of Black surfers at Rockaway Beach is rewriting what the NYC surf scene looks like. 🏄

Waymo can keep testing robotaxis in NYC until end of 2025 (TechCrunch)

  • NYC regulators extended Waymo’s permit to test autonomous robotaxis, allowing up to eight vehicles with safety operators. 🤖

    • The extension edges the city closer to a driverless future, though commercial licenses and stricter rules remain ahead. 

    • For now, New Yorkers may spot the test fleet cruising quietly through Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.



That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday Five — may your weekend be full of surprise rides, secret eats, and smooth waves. 🌊

Daily Digest Rewards 🎁 

Treat yourself: Send subscribers our way, and we’ll send swag your way.

1 Referral: Shoutout in the Digest
5 Referrals: Obviously NYC Hat
10 Referrals: Obviously NYC Tote Bag
25 Referrals: Obviously NYC Sweatshirt

You currently have 0 referrals, only 1 away from receiving a Shoutout in the Tech:NYC Digest.

Or share your personal link with others: https://technycdigest.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

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.