Ken Griffin's Bold Call: Why NYC Business Leaders Must Stand Up Now
Ken Griffin is taking a fresh shot at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — while voicing willingness to speak with the far-left leader down the road.
The Citadel founder on Thursday urged New York’s business leaders to “fight for their city” as he renewed his criticism of the democratic socialist mayor whose “tax the rich” campaign turned Griffin into a political target earlier this year.
“They need to find their voice and fight for their city,” Griffin said at an Upper East Side groundbreaking, according to Bloomberg News.
“My advice is to speak up. What’s the worst that’s going to happen?”
The billionaire hedge fund manager, whose firm employs thousands of workers in New York, said his firm will outlast Mamdani’s administration.
“Everything should be viewed through the lens of, Citadel will be here far longer than he’ll be mayor,” he said.
While Griffin has been ghosting Mamdani’s outreach, he said Thursday they’ll speak — eventually.
“I plan to talk to him at some point in the months ahead,” he said.
“Let’s see where he is on the state of policy at that time. Actions speak louder than words.”
The comments came during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Kenneth C. Griffin Pavilion, a new 27-story inpatient facility being built by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Griffin and fellow billionaire David Geffen committed $400 million to the project.
Despite his increasingly visible investments in Florida — recently expanding plans for a sprawling Miami development — Griffin indicated Thursday that New York remains central to Citadel’s future.
At the same time, he warned that business leaders cannot afford to remain silent.
“It will be that New York empties of talent and that’s a catastrophe,” he said, outlining a nightmare scenario for the city under Mamdani.
“If the mayor wants to say a few words about you, your record speaks for itself: You create jobs, you create value and you pay taxes.”
Earlier this year, Mamdani ignited the public feud by filming a viral Tax Day video outside Griffin’s $238 million penthouse at 220 Central Park South to promote a new pied-à-terre tax on wealthy owners of second homes.
Standing outside the residence on Billionaires’ Row, Mamdani called out Griffin by name while touting his promise to “tax the rich” and celebrating the levy aimed at luxury properties owned by nonresidents.
The video drew howls from the business community and angered Griffin. He described the stunt as “creepy” and accused the mayor of turning a policy disagreement into a personal attack.
Griffin is expected to owe an additional $1.3 million to $1.4 million in taxes next year due to the pied-à-terre tax, according to calculations by Business Insider.
His largesse appears to continue unabated.
The Upper East Side cancer center joins a growing list of New York institutions that have received major donations from Griffin, including the Hospital for Special Surgery and the American Museum of Natural History.
The Post has sought comment from Griffin and Mamdani.
