Howard William Lutnick is an American billionaire businessman, and government official who has served as the 41st United States secretary of commerce since February 2025.
In 1983, Lutnick was hired at Cantor Fitzgerald under the mentorship of the firm's founder, B. Gerald Cantor. In 1990, Lutnick became president and chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald. After a medical incident involving Cantor in 1995, he entered into a legal dispute with Cantor's wife, Iris, over Cantor's succession plans. Lutnick was appointed chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald after Cantor's death in 1996. He invested significantly in technology, establishing an electronic trading platform known as eSpeed. In the September 11 attacks, Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 employees, including Howard's brother, Gary.
Lutnick was a fundraiser for Donald Trump's 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns, as well as a vocal proponent of Trump's proposal to implement broad tariffs. In August 2024, he was named as the co-chair of Donald Trump's presidential transition. President-elect Trump named Lutnick as his nominee for secretary of commerce in November. A Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee hearing for Lutnick was held in January 2025, and he was confirmed by the Senate in February. That year, Time listed Lutnick as one of the world's 100 most influential people.
