When New York’s top bosses meet the mayor, who blinks first?

New York City’s business leaders had a golden chance to push back when Mayor Mamdani invited them for quick chats last week. The stated goal was smoothing feathers ruffled by his flashy social media post about billionaire Ken Griffin. Yet somehow Griffin’s name vanished from the private talks with Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan and David Solomon of Goldman Sachs. Instead, we heard about “constructive” chats and book gifts—Dimon even handed Mamdani a volume on economic growth, as if a single title could fix years of tax hikes and anti-business rhetoric. The mayor’s team had scrambled to arrange these meetings after their own allies warned that companies were quietly eyeing exits. Mamdani’s habit of framing wealth as theft and his calls for heavier taxes on the rich have made many top earners nervous. Still, instead of a clear warning, the CEOs offered smiles, book swaps, and invitations to fancy offices. Solomon even suggested a future DJ gig for the mayor—yes, the same man who once rapped before turning politician.Meanwhile, Ken Griffin has already voted with his feet. At an industry conference he bluntly said Miami, not New York, is where real opportunity lives. He’s expanding operations there, where officials celebrate earned success rather than redistribution. The contrast couldn’t be sharper: two of Wall Street’s biggest names chose diplomacy over pushback, while a single businessman chooses action. What’s most puzzling is how little was said about the real issue—jobs. JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs together employ thousands of middle-class New Yorkers. Every new tax or fee that chases away investors also risks those paychecks. Yet the CEOs steered clear of that conversation. Did they fear bruising the mayor’s ego? Or did they simply forget why they were in the room?