February 11, 2026
GIF-ted hire or credit glitch?
Mamdani Hires Groundbreaking Computer Scientist as Chief Tech Officer
NYC’s new tech boss gets cheers, memes—and a big GIF fact-check
TLDR: NYC named Lisa Gelobter its top tech official to modernize services, prompting an online scuffle over headlines crediting her with GIF-related innovation. Commenters split between fact-checking the GIF claim, joking about a GIF-run City Hall, and debating whether a city CTO actually wields real power.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani just tapped web veteran Lisa Gelobter to be New York City’s chief technology officer—the city’s top tech boss—and the internet had thoughts. The article hyped her as a web pioneer who helped shape online animation and launched Hulu, with Gelobter pledging to make city services fairer and easier to use. But the comments immediately hit the brakes on one line: the GIF credit. Cue the fact-check brigade.
One camp blasted the wording as overhype, pointing out that the GIF image format was created by CompuServe back in 1987, not by Netscape or Macromedia. Users linked receipts like this archive. As one skeptic put it, animated GIFs “were already a thing,” suggesting Gelobter’s real legacy was boosting web animation via Shockwave, not inventing the GIF itself. Another camp countered that headlines are messy and the bigger point stands: she helped make the web more animated and accessible.
Meanwhile, a second debate exploded: what does a CTO even do? One commenter shrugged that CTOs are “good at demos” but not always impactful, while others argued this role controls cybersecurity, data, and how millions access services—aka, it matters. And yes, the memes rolled in: “All 311 requests must now be sent as GIFs,” “Hulu for potholes,” and “Press conferences in looped reaction GIFs.” Drama, receipts, and jokes—classic internet.
Key Points
- •Mayor Zohran Mamdani will appoint Lisa Gelobter as New York City’s chief technology officer and commissioner of the Office of Technology and Innovation.
- •Gelobter’s responsibilities will include overseeing cybersecurity, data management, city technology infrastructure, and improving digital access to services.
- •The article credits Gelobter with leading a team that developed animation technology used to create GIFs; she also worked on Hulu’s launch and founded tEQuitable.
- •Gelobter previously served as chief digital service officer at the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration.
- •Mamdani’s other notable appointments include Lina Khan to lead his transition, Jessica Tisch as police commissioner, and Julie Su as first deputy mayor for economic justice.