Videos
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Exploring the New World with Vice President JD Vance -
Oren Cass | Chautauqua Lecture Series
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Jon Stewart Dives into MAGA's Contradictory Politics with Zachary Carter & Oren Cass
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'Where Did All the Good Jobs Go?' with Zeynep Ton
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Oren Cass | Fanfare for the Common Man | NatCon 4 -
Oren Cass Challenges Free Traders on American Manufacturing | InFi #87
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Trade war: Trump hits Mexico, China & Canada with tariffs – with Oren Cass
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Oren Cass - Understanding Trump Tariffs Through the Lens of “The New Conservatives” | The Daily Show
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CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS with Larry Summers on Tariffs, Part One
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Hub Dialogues: Oren Cass on the economics of the New Right
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Oren Cass on Donald Trump's tariff proposals
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OREN CASS: The Future of the American Worker
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Immigration & Wages | Oren Cass & Steve Moore
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How Markets Fail the Family And What to Do About It – Oren Cass at the PE 2022 Conference
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Oren Cass: The philosophy of J.D. Vance
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New Ways to Measure Our Economy
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Is Capitalism Working? A Conversation with Oren Cass
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Mr. Oren Cass Testimony Before the Joint Economic Committee, November 20, 2019
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Making The Case For Trump’s Tariffs | Amanpour and Company
Learn More About Oren Cass
For over 25 years, America has pursued an economic model in favor of more free trade, regardless of what happens to American workers and industry. But has getting cheap stuff worked out better for us?
“The era of cheap goods was driven by economic policy that tried to maximize consumption without concern for who was making what, or whether America made anything at all,” explains Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass. “The typical working family has not been well served by that deal. We need an economy that provides good jobs to anybody who is willing to work hard, regardless of their locations, aptitudes and interests.”
As the Republican Party’s new “center of gravity,” according to David Brooks of The New York Times, Cass is renowned for his ability to clarify the challenges in modern American life. From improving the synergy between business and higher education to influencing leaders ranging from the boardroom to the ballot box, he highlights the disconnect between the values and priorities of the American people and the policies their leaders have pursued. A contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and a contributing editor to The Financial Times, he cut his teeth as a top-rated management consultant at Bain & Company and as domestic policy director for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. For global audiences, he brings analytical precision and values-driven frameworks to some of the most urgent debates in economic policy today.
Provocative and deeply informed, Cass’s presentations make a compelling case for a system where private sector gains are aligned with the public good and where productive markets support strong communities and responsive politics. Emphasizing “intellectual combat combined with personal civility,” his unique style of political engagement leaves leaders equipped with a fresh understanding of the structural issues in the American economy and a clear pathway for evolving to meet them.
A New Way to Innovate in a Capitalist System
Cass founded American Compass in 2020 to fill a void he saw in American discourse: a lack of serious conservative thought that questioned decades of policy norms. Under Cass’s leadership, the think tank has emerged as a leading voice for “a conservative vision of worker power.” Policymakers, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance, draw directly from Cass’s work. His pragmatic perspective on broad-based economic growth has redefined the conservative economic agenda around three key pillars: productive markets, supportive communities and responsive politics. His landmark books, “The Once and Future Worker” (2018), which was called “a brilliant book, and among the most important I’ve ever read” by Vance, and “The New Conservatives” (2025), edited by Cass, lay out his blueprint for a more worker-centered approach that enables stronger innovation in a capitalist system.
“If factory owners double the productivity of their workforce, they can either make and sell more products and pay people more, or they can fire half the people that work in the factory,” Cass explained on-stage at the Chautauqua Institution’s 2025 Lecture Series. “Which one you choose is going to determine whether capitalism is working or not.”
Rejecting the outdated assumption that profit automatically signals value, Cass emphasizes that companies must assess whether their profit models genuinely support long-term productivity and prosperity, especially for employees, or whether they merely extract value without building anything durable. This reframing has crucial implications for corporate strategy and the policies that affect it, from trade and immigration, to education and workforce development, to labor and industrial policy.
Challenging executives to rethink outdated assumptions, Cass offers a new framework in which business, government and society take shared responsibility for building a labor market that delivers real opportunity and dignity. Compelling, accessible and with an ability to bridge ideology and pragmatism, he delivers both a sharper image of the pressures facing the American workforce and practical strategies for shaping a healthier, more inclusive future of work.
Oren Cass is the chief economist at American Compass, the conservative think tank he founded in 2020 to restore an economic consensus emphasizing the importance of family, community and industry to the nation’s liberty and prosperity. From 2015 to 2019, Cass was a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, where he published his landmark book, “The Once and Future Worker” (2018), which has become required reading for young conservatives and is taught at universities across the country. He earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was elected vice president and treasurer of the Harvard Law Review. While still in law school, he also became Domestic Policy Director for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, editing and producing the campaign’s “jobs book” and developing its domestic policy strategy, proposals and research.
Oren Cass is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
A New Era for American Political Economy
Why does it feel like the US economy no longer serves the people it’s supposed to benefit, and why are so few experts offering a new way forward? Laying out a bold vision for rebuilding American capitalism so it works for workers, families and the long-term strength of the nation is Oren Cass, the founder and chief economist of American Compass, a leading conservative think tank. Drawing on his experience as a top policy advisor and as the leader of American Compass – the only research institute offering a post-Trump, future-oriented conservative economic framework – Cass challenges the long-held assumption that profit alone signals success. In provocative and deeply informed presentations, he makes a compelling case for a system where private sector gains are aligned with the public good and where productive markets are supported by strong communities and responsive politics. Attendees leave equipped with a fresh understanding of the structural issues in our economy and a clear framework for how business, policy and society can evolve to meet them.
Rethinking Work: What’s Broken and What Comes Next for the American Worker
Why are so many Americans checked out of the workforce and what will it take to bring them back in? Author of “The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America,” Oren Cass argues that our approach to work in America needs a structural reset. As founder and chief economist of American Compass, Cass has spent years building the conservative movement’s most compelling case for restoring work to the center of economic policy. He draws on his experience as a management consultant, policy director and nationally recognized writer to explain how decades of misguided decisions, from immigration policy to AI adoption to the college-for-all education model, have sidelined workers and frayed the institutions that once supported their success. In compelling and accessible presentations, Cass challenges audiences to rethink outdated assumptions about productivity and prosperity and offers a new framework in which business, government and society take shared responsibility for building a labor market that delivers real opportunity and dignity. Leaders walk away with a sharper understanding of the pressures facing the American workforce and practical strategies for shaping a healthier, more inclusive future of work.
The Great Work Debate: Will AI Help or Harm Worker Prosperity?
As AI transforms the economy, one question is keeping leaders up at night: will technology empower workers or make them obsolete? Oren Cass, founder and chief economist at American Compass, believes the answer depends on how we define prosperity – and productivity – in the first place, and how we use economic policy to constrain the options for pursuing profit. In this thought-provoking presentation, he invites business and policy leaders to examine how work, value and human dignity should factor into how we measure economic success. A former top-rated Bain consultant and domestic policy director to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, Cass blends analytical rigor with a moral clarity to critique the assumption that innovation automatically drives progress. Compelling and dynamic, he instead proposes a framework where technological advancement is only successful if it improves the lives and livelihoods of everyday people. Audiences walk away with a more human-centered lens on AI strategy and practical questions they can ask about how their companies are shaping the future of work and humanity.
Is Capitalism Working and Can It Be Saved?
For decades, we’ve been told that more growth, more trade and more profit will lead to a better society. But if that formula is no longer delivering for everyone, does that mean capitalism has become disconnected from its original purpose? Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass and a leading voice on the future of conservative economic thought, argues that capitalism is not failing – but it is off course. In this eye-opening session, Cass challenges the long-held belief that free markets, left to themselves, will naturally produce the best outcomes. Drawing from his background as a top policy advisor and management consultant, he presents a new framework rooted in national strength, worker well-being and long-term institutional health, as well as strong shareholder returns. Audiences leave with a deeper understanding of why our economic assumptions are being questioned, and what it means to build a version of capitalism that delivers for business, workers and society in the decades ahead.
Rethinking the College-for-All Model: Building Better Pathways from Classroom to Career
Is a four-year college degree really the best path for everyone? According to Oren Cass, author of “The Once and Future Worker” and founder of American Compass, our national obsession with “college-for-all” is leaving too many young people behind while starving employers of the talent they need. In thought-provoking presentations, Cass challenges the one-size-fits-all education model and outlines a more inclusive, practical framework for connecting individuals to opportunity. Drawing on extensive policy work and real-world research, he reveals how business leaders and educators can collaborate to build more effective bridges between school and the workforce earlier in the education process, ensuring that students gain purpose and direction long before graduation and that organizations gain access to skilled, motivated workers. Audiences walk away with fresh insights into the flaws of the current system and actionable ideas for reshaping education-to-employment pipelines that serve people, businesses and communities alike.
What Is Happening in the Republican Party – Today and Tomorrow
Confused by what’s happening in conservative politics? You’re not alone – but there’s a deeper logic to the disruption. Oren Cass, the founder and chief economist of American Compass, a leading conservative think tank that has worked with closely with national political figures including US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the forces reshaping the Republican Party and what they mean for business, policy and public life. Neither for nor against President Trump himself, Cass doesn’t offer predictions or hot takes that polarize communities. Instead, he explains the political realignment through a broader lens of economic frustration, cultural change and institutional failure. He helps audiences make sense of issues once considered fringe that now shape the national agenda, including topics ranging from rising populism and tariff debates to family policy and labor reform. This session helps executives and analysts alike understand what’s actually driving today’s conservative movement so they can engage more thoughtfully in the conversations reshaping America’s future.
The New Conservatives: Restoring America's Commitment to Family, Community, and Industry
(Radius Book Group, June 2025)
Praise for "The Once and Future Worker"
“Oren Cass has accomplished the rare feat of not only saying something truly new and innovative about our society, but also doing it in a readable, engrossing way. 'The Once and Future Worker' is a wake-up call to our political class, and indeed the whole country, that rising consumption can’t replace that most basic of goods ― a job. A brilliant book. And among the most important I’ve ever read.”
“No one has better articulated the conservative argument for why work matters to America's long-term prosperity than Oren Cass. Oren’s insightful prescription for what ails us should be required reading for those who endeavor to create a labor market in which workers can create and support strong families and communities.”
“Oren Cass has written the essential policy book for our time. His diagnosis cuts to the heart of what’s troubling our political economy, and his prescriptions chart the way toward a more constructive politics. A must-read.”
“Through an unflinching indictment of the mistakes that Washington has made for a generation and continues to make today, Oren Cass forcefully draws out the contradictions of a consensus that has actively displaced Americans from their national inheritance of good jobs and thriving hometowns. 'The Once and Future Worker' offers much-needed clarity for how to make the American Dream possible for the many.”
“Oren Cass’s focus on the importance of work ― and making work pay ― offers welcome common ground for policy debates across partisan and ideological lines. His core principle ― a culture of respect for work of all kinds ― can help close the gap dividing the two Americas that the 2016 election so starkly revealed.”
“Working-class voters tried to send a message in 2016, and they are still trying to send it. The crucial question is whether America’s leaders will listen and respond. One way to start doing that is to read Oren Cass’s absolutely brilliant new book.”
“Oren Cass has one of the sharpest policy minds in this new vanguard. . . . Cass’s book, timed for publication the week after the midterms, could either be the battle orders for a second Trump term or a to-do list for a successor stamped in the same mold.”
“Oren Cass talks about a lot of these policy solutions that nobody wants to talk about. . . . Go check it out right now. It’s a sophisticated take on a lot of deep policy issues.”
