Described by George Will as a “one-man antidote to economic obfuscation and mystification,” John Tamny is much sought after as a speaker around the world given his tendency to successfully turn conventional economic and market wisdom on its head. Tamny’s goal in his presentations is to show why what is commonly believed is untrue. Think that World War II ended the Great Depression? Tamny will show you why accepted economic history is wildly incorrect. Concerned about wealth inequality? Tamny will explain why inequality is the surest sign that the needs of the poorest in society are being met the most. Worried that robots will force much of the labor force into the unemployment lines? Tamny will explain why robots will be the biggest job creators in history.
All of the above is why AQR Capital’s Cliff Asness has referred to Tamny’s book Popular Economics as “an epic myth-buster” that he’ll be “giving out to friends, of all viewpoints, for a long, long time.” In his latest book, Who Needs the Fed? (May 2016), he makes the case that the Fed was never that powerful to begin with, and even better its economic relevance is in rapid decline. Tamny will not only entertain audiences, but they’ll emerge from his talks with a whole new way of looking at how economies and markets work. Most of all, Tamny is a cheerful speaker. While he doesn’t shy away from pointing out what’s wrong, he’s an unrelenting optimist who always reminds audiences why economic growth is simple. Will has also said that the man who penned “‘the dismal science’ never read Tamny,” and those who witness his presentations will soon see why.
Tamny’s next book is titled The End of Work. In this unrelentingly optimistic book, he argues that the future is brighter than most think thanks to work increasingly reflecting our passions as opposed to our desire to earn a paycheck. Tamny shows how economic growth’s unsung greatest quality is that it more and more frees us from work for the sake of it, in favor of work that doesn’t feel like it at all simply because we’re so passionate about it. He’s already giving talks about this exciting evolution around the world.
