Tuesday, February 3, 2026
In today’s digest, Olympic soccer in NYC, HR jobs at NYC tech companies, and the latest data on AI use in the workplace. 🤖
Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
We’ll start with the topic on everyone’s mind: Subway bathroom cleanliness. 🚽 An MTA Inspector General audit found that 23 of 27 subway bathrooms observed were lacking “at least one basic amenity” and that the system overall needs improvement when it comes to cleanliness and maintenance. (NBC New York)
NYC Transit is in charge of 125 public bathrooms, which make up about 11% of all public restrooms in the city.
Gotta go? Find a public bathroom near you using this nifty tool.
Alternate Side Parking gets a continued snow-day reprieve: ASP rules have been suspended another week at least, through Sunday, February 8, to help with ongoing snow operations. ❄️ (PIX 11)
The snow and the freeze that followed have tested the city’s sanitation workers, who have been prioritizing trash and compost pickups over recyclables.
Stay up to date on all things ASP here.
Olympic soccer is coming to NYC! The future stadium for New York City FC (currently being built in Queens) will host group stage and knockout-round matches during the 2028 Summer Olympics. ⚽ (Secret NYC)
Want tix? The official Olympic ticket draw is open now through March 18. More details here.
👑 Referral royalty: Big thanks to Nikhil Saukhla (Rhaeos), Aaron Shields (PayPal), and Giuseppe Torzi (The One Stop Marketing) for referring subscribers to the Tech:NYC Digest this week! Join them and win swag by participating in our referral program — details at the end of this email.
In other reading:
AI in the Workplace Continues to Rise
Turns out Janice from accounting is indeed using AI. And she’s not alone.
AI at work is quietly settling in, with leaders and desk jobs pulling ahead even while half the workforce still opts out altogether. 🧑💻
What’s 🆕: U.S. workers are using AI a bit more often, but adoption isn’t spreading evenly. Gallup’s latest data shows a widening gap by role, industry, and who actually gets to work behind a screen. Let’s take a look. 🤖
📈 Slow and steady: Frequent AI use (a few times a week or more) rose to 26% in Q4 2025, while daily use climbed from 10% to 12% — modest gains overall.
👑 Leadership is way ahead on AI: Gallup found that the further down on the organizational ladder you are, the less likely you are to use AI at work.
69% of leaders say they use AI at least a few times a year, compared with 55% of managers and only 40% of individual contributors, with the gap widening since 2023.
One potential reason: AI’s greatest value comes from augmenting human judgment.
This is especially true in roles that require “decision-making, problem-solving, and contextual understanding” — skills that leaders are more likely to use on the job.
💻 Desk jobs win, frontline lags: AI use is concentrated in remote-capable roles, where total usage has surged from 28% in 2023 to 66% in 2025, versus 32% in non-remote-capable jobs.
🏦 Industry divide is real: No surprise here, but the technology industry leads with 77% total AI use, followed by finance (64%) and higher education (63%), while retail trails at 33%.
⚠️ Adoption ≠ awareness: While 38% of workers say their organization has integrated AI, 21% don’t know, hinting that AI tools are often used informally without clear company strategy.
In other reading:
The economics of a Super Bowl ad (Z Reitano/X)
AI’s fundraising frenzy continues (Wall Street Journal)
The employees secretly working a four-day week (Financial Times)
Welcome to our weekly jobs section, where we spotlight a selection of the NYC tech jobs from Tech:NYC’s Jobs Board — all recently posted. 🔥
Here are some HR roles that we think are exciting from NYC tech companies:
Vice President, Agentic Talent Development — Salesforce ($234k-374,400 / year + equity): You’ll build the foundation for agentic management, scale AI fluency across the organization, and create personalized development experiences that drive both individual growth and business results. Apply here.
Director, HR Business Partner — Adobe ($161,900-305,950 / year + equity): You’ll serve as a trusted business partner and coach to senior leaders in the organization. Apply here.
Director of People Operations— Courier Health ($200k-$230k / year + equity): You'll be responsible for developing and executing people programs that scale with Courier Health’s growth while maintaining their culture and values. Apply here.
Alaffia Health, an NYC-based agentic AI platform for health plan claims, raised $55 million in Series B funding. Transformation Capital led the round, joined by insiders FirstMark Capital, Tau Ventures, and Twine Ventures.
Arbor, an NYC-based AI research platform for enterprise operations, raised $6.3 million across seed and pre-seed rounds. 645 Ventures led the round and was joined by Next Play Ventures, Chaac Ventures, Comma Capital, and angel investors.
Pasito, an NYC-based workspace for group health, life, and retirement benefits, raised $21 million in Series A funding. Insight Partners led the round, joined by YC and MTech Capital.
Sixfold, an NYC-based AI underwriting insurtech company, raised $30 million in Series B funding. Brewer Lane led the round, joined by Guidewire, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Salesforce Ventures.
The Six Bells, an NYC-based hospitality brand, raised $3.8 million in seed funding. Female Founders Fund led the round, joined by Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Brian Chesky, and Soho House's Nick Jones.
Waymo, the robotaxi unit of Alphabet (and Tech:NYC member!), raised $16 billion. Dragoneer, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital led the round, joined by a16z, Mubadala, Bessemer Venture Partners, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, T. Rowe Price, BDT & MSD Partners, CapitalG, Fidelity, GV, Kleiner Perkins, Perry Creek Capital, and Temasek.
February 4: What’s Next for Fintech and Crypto in 2026, a discussion on the emerging market trends, the evolving regulatory environment, and where the most compelling opportunities may emerge for retail investors. Register here.
February 6: Advanced Founder Roundtable Lunch, for Series A+ founders solving real scaling problems during an executive networking lunch at the National Arts Club. Application required. Register here.
February 8: Startup Friends — Tea, Yoga & Chill, a laid-back Sunday yoga hang for ambitious humans who love building and breathing. Register here.
February 9: NY Tech Meetup: Gaming Edition, a gaming-focused gathering bringing together creators, builders, and players shaping what’s next. Register here.
February 10: Gen Z NYC Founder & Creator Mixer, where you can celebrate your entrepreneurial journey with fellow Gen Z founders. Register here.
February 11: Health2Tech NYC, an exclusive gathering bringing together the brightest minds in the digital health space. Register here.
February 12: Govtech Happy Hour, for all govtech founders and operators, civil servants past and present, and policy enthusiasts. Register here.
February 19: VC Community Happy Hour, a relaxed setting to catch up with peers and reconnect with familiar faces. Register here.
February 24: Element 46 Tech Accelerator informational session, for Westchester County-based founders interested in applying for the accelerator program before the application closes on March 6. Register here.
February 25: The New York Official Cybersecurity Summit, a full day of expert insights, interactive sessions, and high-value networking with leaders across the cybersecurity community. Register here with promo code CSS26-TECHNYC for a free pass.
February 26: Her Tech Community Launch Gathering, the launch of a new women in tech community designed to create meaningful connection, shared learning, and a space where your voice directly shapes what we build together. Register here.
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
{{rp_personalized_text}}
Or share your personal link with others: {{ rp_refer_url }}
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.
