Yaron Brook

Brook was born in Jerusalem and raised in Haifa by South African-Israeli parents of socialist-Zionist outlook; he became interested in Ayn Rand’s ideas at 16, recalling that he resisted Atlas Shrugged when he read it but was convinced in the end.⁠[1]

He served as a first sergeant in Israeli military intelligence and earned a BSc in civil engineering from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.⁠[2]

He has said that he left Israel for America in 1987 because its politics and security made it a poor place to build his life.⁠[1]

He earned an MBA and a PhD in finance at the University of Texas at Austin and became an American citizen in 2003.⁠[3]

From 1993 to 2000 he was an assistant professor of finance at Santa Clara University.⁠[3]

In 1998 he co-founded BH Equity Research, a private equity and hedge fund manager.⁠[3]

In the early 2000s he became president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute; his first C-SPAN appearance was a 2002 speech, and on September 12, 2009, he appeared at a FreedomWorks rally on the west front of the U.S. Capitol.⁠[4]

He was one of the contributors to Winning the Unwinnable War: America’s Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism, a 2009 book edited by Elan Journo.⁠[5][2]

On April 20, 2009, writing for Fox News as executive director of the Ayn Rand Center, he argued that amid the economic crisis and growing government intervention, sales of Atlas Shrugged were at a record high, and that a society which regards self-sacrifice as a virtue cannot countenance capitalism.⁠[6]

In 2010 Paradigm Publishers published Neoconservatism: An Obituary for an Idea, which he co-wrote with politics professor C. Bradley Thompson, critiquing neoconservatism from the standpoint of the liberal tradition rather than from the left.⁠[7]

On November 30, 2011, he debated David Callahan on the role and function of government, a debate recorded in C-SPAN’s video library.⁠[4]

In 2012 Palgrave Macmillan published Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government, a 272-page book he co-wrote with Don Watkins that examines the 2008 housing crisis, the Wall Street crash, Bernie Madoff and the healthcare industry through Rand’s principles.⁠[8]

On March 29, 2016, St. Martin’s Press published Equal Is Unfair: America’s Misguided Fight Against Income Inequality, a 272-page book he co-wrote with Don Watkins.⁠[9]

The book argues that the key to a freer, fairer and more prosperous America is to protect and celebrate the pursuit of success rather than pull down high fliers in the name of equality.⁠[10]

On September 27, 2017, at the invitation of the Yale Federalist Society, he debated YaleYale UniversityYale University is a research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Its predecessor, the Collegiate School, received a charter in 1701. Trustees chose New Haven in 1716; the institution became Yale College in 1718 and Yale University in 1887. Yale provides undergraduate, graduate and professional education and has 14 undergraduate residential colleges. As of October 2026, its president was Maurie McInnis, who took office in July 2024. In 2026, Yale expanded aid for incoming undergraduates and celebrated its 325th anniversary.Open the full entry law professor Daniel Markovits on income inequality: Markovits argued for state and societal solutions to reduce the income gap, while Brook argued that a genuinely laissez-faire capitalist society is the only fair system.⁠[11]

In October 2017 he and Watkins published In Pursuit of Wealth: The Moral Case for Finance, which seeks to counter negative views of finance within a moral framework; Brook said those who recognize the irreplaceable value of finance must change the terms of the debate.⁠[12]

In March 2018, while he was speaking with YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry commentator Carl Benjamin, known as Sargon of Akkad, at a King’s College London Libertarian Society event, a group of masked protesters stormed the lecture theatre and clashed with security and students, halting the event.⁠[13]

In 2016 ARI supporter Jim Brown took on the role of president and CEO with the proviso that he would help find a long-term CEO within three years; in March 2018 the board chose Tal Tsfany as the next president and CEO, with Brook commenting as chairman of the board.⁠[14]

On November 13, 2020, he appeared on episode #138 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast, which described him as an Objectivist philosopher, podcaster and author; topics included principles of a life well lived, free will, Ayn Rand, Objectivism, capitalism, the virtue of selfishness, anarchy and tribalism.⁠[15]

On April 24, 2021, he appeared with anarchist Michael MaliceMichael MaliceMichael Malice is a Soviet-born American author, podcaster and self-described anarchist who wrote Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il, The New Right and The White Pill, hosts the podcast “YOUR WELCOME” and has appeared seven times on the Lex Fridman Podcast.Open the full entry on episode #178, which introduced them as an Objectivist and an anarchist; topics included communism, Kant, Jordan PetersonJordan PetersonJordan Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist, author and podcast host who taught at Harvard University and the University of Toronto; he drew wide attention for publicly opposing Canada’s Bill C-16 in 2016 and the ensuing free-speech debate, wrote the bestseller 12 Rules for Life and founded the online education platform Peterson Academy.Open the full entry and religion, why Ayn Rand is controversial, Bitcoin and a debate on anarchy.⁠[16]

On January 15, 2022, on episode #256, he held a conversation and debate with national conservative Yoram HazonyYoram HazonyYoram Hazony is an Israeli-born philosopher, Bible scholar and political theorist, president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem and chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation; he is the author of books including The Virtue of Nationalism and Conservatism: A Rediscovery, and since 2019 his foundation has held the National Conservatism conferences in the United States and Europe.Open the full entry on national conservatism versus individualism; topics included conservatism, the importance of history, rationalism versus empiricism, the American founders and founding documents, cohesion and individualism, and nationalism.⁠[17]

On March 31, 2022, when he spoke at a University of Bristol Liberty Society event, about 12 protesters linked arms in front of a fire exit; police attended, the event went ahead, and the protesters were escorted out afterwards.⁠[18]

He had previously said Islamic ideology is contrary to modern Western values; after the event he posted that leftist students had tried to “Cancel” him.⁠[18]

As of October 2026 he is chairman of the board of the Ayn Rand Institute and lectures on Objectivism, business ethics and foreign policy at colleges, community groups and corporations.⁠[19]

He hosts the podcast and YouTube program The Yaron Brook Show, whose motto is reason, individualism and capitalism.⁠[20]

Personal website: Public link: https://yaronbrookshow.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[16]

X: Public account: https://x.com/yaronbrook (opens in a new window)⁠[16]

YouTube: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ybrook (opens in a new window)⁠[16]

Ayn Rand Institute: Official website: https://ari.aynrand.org/ (opens in a new window)⁠[19]