# Ryan Avent

> Ryan Avent is an American economics writer and author who spent 15 years at The Economist, six of them writing the magazine's flagship Free Exchange column. He wrote The Wealth of Humans (2016), a widely discussed argument that automation, globalization and a productive elite are creating a glut of labor that breaks the old social contract of work. He now runs portfolio communications at the investment fund Select Equity Group, writes the Substack newsletter The Bellows, and has a book on belief and the fate of societies forthcoming from Yale University Press.

- **Role:** Director of Portfolio Communications at Select Equity Group
- **Organizations:** Select Equity Group, The Economist, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Yale University Press, The Bellows (Substack)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree, Economics, North Carolina State University (Poole College / Department of Economics)
- **Known for:** Author of The Wealth of Humans (2016), a widely reviewed book on automation and the future of work, Wrote The Economist's flagship Free Exchange economics column for roughly six years, Spent 15 years covering the global economy at The Economist

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Industry analyst at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- **Early career** — Associate at an economics consulting firm
- **Pre-2007** — Full-time freelance journalist for about two years
- **c. 2007** — Joined The Economist as online economics editor, editing the economics page and writing the Free Exchange blog
- **2011** — Published The Gated City, a Kindle Single on housing, cities and growth
- **2016** — Published The Wealth of Humans: Work, Power, and Status in the Twenty-first Century
- **c. 2014-2020** — Wrote The Economist's Free Exchange economics column for about six years
- **2020** — Launched The Bellows, a Substack newsletter on economics and society
- **Present** — Director of Portfolio Communications at Select Equity Group
- **2025** — Book on belief and the fate of societies forthcoming from Yale University Press

## Achievements

- Author of The Wealth of Humans (2016), a widely reviewed book on automation and the future of work
- Wrote The Economist's flagship Free Exchange economics column for roughly six years
- Spent 15 years covering the global economy at The Economist
- Author of The Gated City (2011), an influential argument for urban housing abundance
- Bylines in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Bloomberg and TIME
- Forthcoming book with Yale University Press on belief and human progress

## Latest updates

- **2025** — Book on belief and the fate of societies forthcoming from Yale University Press.
- **2020** — Writing The Bellows newsletter on Substack while leading portfolio communications at Select Equity Group.

## Links

- Website: https://ryanavent.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-avent-1aa705136/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/ryanavent

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