# Oren Cass

> Oren Cass is the founder and chief economist of American Compass, the think tank that rewired the economic playbook of the American right. A former Bain consultant and domestic policy director for Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign, Cass turned against the free-market orthodoxy he once served and built an intellectual case for tariffs, industrial policy, and worker power that now echoes through the speeches of JD Vance and Marco Rubio. He is the author of The Once and Future Worker and editor of The New Conservatives, and a contributing opinion writer for the Financial Times.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Economist at American Compass
- **Organizations:** American Compass, Manhattan Institute (former), Bain & Company (former), Romney 2012 presidential campaign (former), Financial Times (contributing opinion writer)
- **From:** Greater Boston area, Massachusetts, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Political Economy, Williams College, J.D., magna cum laude (VP and Treasurer of the Harvard Law Review), Harvard Law School
- **Known for:** Founded American Compass, a think tank whose ideas are cited by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Authored The Once and Future Worker (2018), praised by figures across the political spectrum, Edited The New Conservatives (2025)

## Career timeline

- **2005** — Joins Bain & Company as a consultant, working in the Boston and New Delhi offices
- **2008** — Takes a six-month leave to work on Mitt Romney's presidential campaign
- **2011-2012** — Serves as Domestic Policy Director for Romney's 2012 presidential campaign while still in law school, producing the campaign's 'jobs book'
- **2015** — Joins the Manhattan Institute as a senior fellow; named to Politico's top 50 'thinkers, doers and visionaries'
- **2018** — Publishes The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America
- **2020** — Founds American Compass in February
- **2025** — Edits and publishes The New Conservatives: Restoring America's Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry; becomes a leading public defender of Trump-era tariffs

## Achievements

- Founded American Compass, a think tank whose ideas are cited by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio
- Authored The Once and Future Worker (2018), praised by figures across the political spectrum
- Edited The New Conservatives (2025)
- Published 15+ reports at the Manhattan Institute and edited the 'Issues 2016' and 'Issues 2020' series
- Testified before seven congressional committees
- Named to Politico's top 50 'thinkers, doers and visionaries' (2015)
- Contributing opinion writer for the Financial Times

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Defended Trump's tariff strategy on Fareed Zakaria GPS and Ross Douthat's 'Interesting Times' podcast
- **2025-08** — Debated economist Noah Smith on the a16z show over tariff-driven reindustrialization versus free markets
- **2025-10** — Featured in coverage examining whether tariffs delivered the promised prosperity
- **2026-01** — Submitted testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee

## Links

- Website: https://orencass.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orencass/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/oren_cass
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanCompass

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/oren-cass
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02