Top donors to Zohran Mamdani PAC were employed by a company linked to China.

Donors to Mamdani’s Mayoral Campaign Linked to Controversial Company

Two major contributors to the Super PAC backing Zohran Mamdani’s bid for New York City mayor have ties to a tech firm under scrutiny for its possible connections to the Chinese Communist Party.

Omer Hasan, who stepped down as the vice president of operations at Applovin, based in Palo Alto, California, had donated a substantial $250,000 to the PAC on September 5th. His LinkedIn profile highlights his career, but the circumstances of his exit from the company remain unclear.

Mohammad Javed, formerly an engineering director at Applovin until 2021, contributed $251,500 to the PAC and an additional $2,100 to Mamdani’s campaign committee.

The Super PAC supporting Mamdani, who promotes affordable living in New York, has raised nearly $2.4 million as of last Friday.

While neither Hasan nor Javed has been charged with any wrongdoing, their departures from the rapidly expanding company have raised eyebrows, especially as Applovin is about to acquire former Chinese assets from TikTok.

The short-selling firm Culper Research issued a report earlier this year, accusing Applovin of deploying illicit backdoor applications to facilitate the distribution of harmful software. They claimed Applovin posed both a poor investment opportunity and a potential national security threat due to Chinese investor Hao Tan owning nearly 10% of the company.

“Our findings suggest that Tan has numerous links to the CCP and is associated with money laundering and human trafficking,” the report stated.

Allegations against Applovin continue to pile up. Another short-seller, Muddy Waters, labeled the company a “Scammy Adtech Company,” hinting at dubious practices in their advertising methods.

In response to these criticisms, Applovin’s CEO Adam Foroughi, during an April interview, denied any operational connections with China. He remarked that being a public company attracts global investors, which he seems to feel is a point of pride.

Hasan reportedly claimed he is currently unemployed in filings with the NYC Campaign Finance Committee. Interestingly, Javed is now the CEO of “Showcase Commerce.”

Liz Simons, whose father was the prominent hedge fund billionaire Jim Simons, has funded a nationwide initiative to introduce “awakening mathematics” into public education, contributing $250,000 to the PAC even as her candidate calls for reducing billionaire influence.

Other notable donors include the Unity & Justice Fund of the American Council of Islamic Relations, which contributed $100,000, and Congressman Rashida Tlaib’s campaign, adding $25,000. Additionally, activists like Cynthia Nixon and Jane Fonda donated $5,000 and $1,000, respectively.