Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Columbia Law Professor Tim Wu Joins Attorney General's Office
By
Emma Whitford
Published Sep 14, 2015
Modified Sep 14, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Emma Whitford
Published Sep 14, 2015
Modified Sep 14, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Tim Wu, the Columbia Law Professor who coined the term "net neutrality" and ran as a Democrat for the post of lieutenant governor against Kathy Hochul in 2014, has joined the office of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman as a special advisor and senior lawyer.
Today is his first day on the job, and the start of a sabbatical from his post at Columbia.
"If I have a life mission, it is to fight bullies,” Wu, 43, told the NY Times over the weekend. “I like standing up for the little guy, and I think that’s what the state AG's office does."
According to the Times, Wu will focus on enforcing fair competition on the internet, and sticking up for online consumers—issues that have long been central to his politics. When we spoke with Wu last September, he had nothing good to say about the proposed (and since failed) Time Warner-Comcast merger. He also pointed out that both mega-companies are "very generous donors to Cuomo."
Wu has also served as a top advisor for the Federal Trade Commission, an independent federal agency that promotes consumer protection. The FTC has been increasingly preoccupied with the so-called "on-demand economy," which is made up of companies like Uber and Airbnb that rely on apps to provide services like transportation and lodging, quickly. Wu has described himself as having a "libertarian streak," and has voiced opposition to swift, across-the-board regulations of these companies.
"I'm not someone to say that new technologies get a free pass... but I am a person to say we should focus on cases of real harm, of large-scale illegal hotels, and that we should allow buildings on a case-by-case basis to decide whether they want Airbnb or not," he said last fall.
"There's no doubt in my mind, even if I defend companies on the way in, I will be critical if Airbnb and Uber grow in size and power," he added. "I will immediately turn and demand that they be placed under increasingly strict regulation."
Timothy Karr, the strategy director at the Free Press (where Wu used to serve as chairman of the Board), told us this morning, "On any tech-related issue, Tim has always taken the position that internet users and their rights should be paramount. When you're dealing with issues like Uber and Airbnb, I'm confident that Tim will always side with internet users in those debates."
"We are now living in an online world, one that offers great promise but is also becoming one of the primary crime scenes of the 21st century," Schneiderman said in an Op-Ed last spring. "Major service providers cannot be allowed to treat it as a digital Wild West."
Today he added in a statement that Wu's "expertise in how legal rules can facilitate competition in modern markets is broad and deep, as is his commitment to justice and fairness."
It's also worth noting that Wu managed to snag 40% of the vote in his failed bid against Hochul, and has a reliable history of criticizing Cuomo.
Tagged
attorney general
eric schneiderman
Libertarians
Net Neutrality
tim wu
Emma Whitford
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Parents grumble as NYC schools chancellor dodges calls for NYC schools integration plan
Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones said she felt disappointed by the lack of details.
By
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 10:01 p.m. ET
Driver found with apparent gunshot wound on George Washington Bridge, officials say
The westbound upper level was closed Tuesday night as Port Authority police investigated the incident.
By
Charles Lane
News
Driver found with apparent gunshot wound on George Washington Bridge, officials say
The westbound upper level was closed Tuesday night as Port Authority police investigated the incident.
By
Charles Lane
16 arrested in New York auto insurance fraud crackdown involving nearly $500K
By
Giulia Heyward
Coney Island's small, 1890s lighthouse may be landmarked by the city
By
Catalina Gonella
New renderings are out for Queens' Metropolitan Park casino
By
Willow Higgins
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .