Ian Ayres
Born: April 05, 1959 – Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Ian Ayres is an American lawyer, economist, and Yale Law School professor whose work spans law and economics, behavioral regulation, discrimination, and data-driven decision-making. He is the author of Super Crunchers, Why Not?, and Carrots and Sticks, and his scholarship has significantly shaped empirical legal studies and public-policy debates.
Biography & Author's Journey
Ian Ayres was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and built an unusually interdisciplinary academic foundation before becoming one of the most recognizable public-facing figures in law-and-economics scholarship. He earned a B.A. from Yale University in 1981, majoring in Russian studies and economics, a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1986, and a Ph.D. in economics from MIT in 1988, then clerked for Judge James K. Logan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. After teaching at Harvard, Illinois, Northwestern, Stanford, and Virginia, he established his long-term home at Yale, where he has served as the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor of Law and also held appointments in management and public health. A defining early turn in his career came through empirical studies on discrimination, contracts, and regulation, especially his research on race and gender bias in retail car negotiations, which helped establish his reputation for testing legal claims with data rather than relying only on theory. ((https://ianayres.yale.edu/about?utm_source=openai))
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Community Voices
"Ian Ayres shows us how and why in this groundbreaking book Super Crunchers"
— Steven D. Levitt
"It's fascinating and fun to read, and my abs are in great shape too—all thanks to Ian Ayres"
— Tim Harford
"Ian Ayres is a law-and-economics guru"
— Chronicle of Higher Education
"Ian Ayres shows us how option theory can connect a set of important legal concepts"
— Barry E. Adler
"Ian Ayres has developed the pathbreaking tools that resolve Saint Augustine's paradoxical prayer"
— David Laibson
"Ian Ayres is one of the great innovators of our time in the legal academy"
— George Triantis
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
