The Most Powerful New Yorkers You’ve Never Heard Of

For many years in its early history, this magazine took it upon itself to identify New York’s most powerful inhabitants, delineate their influence, and in doing so expose how the city actually operates. Earlier this year, when we set out to chronicle power post-COVID, we came to an unexpected conclusion. New York’s major power brokers — the moguls and the billionaires, the sort of people who bend the city to their will — are, as a group, remarkably staid and listless. Across government and media, Wall Street and the arts, the big machers are more likely than ever to shirk the spotlight, enjoy just minding the shop, or, in a lot of cases, simply be absent. Power vacuums abound.

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