{"id":23694,"date":"2026-07-26T03:39:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T03:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/hes-been-called-steve-irwin-reincarnated-as-an-economist-and-he-wants-to-change-the-world\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T03:39:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T03:39:50","slug":"hes-been-called-steve-irwin-reincarnated-as-an-economist-and-he-wants-to-change-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/hes-been-called-steve-irwin-reincarnated-as-an-economist-and-he-wants-to-change-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"He\u2019s been called Steve Irwin reincarnated as an economist, and he wants to change the world"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"sc-6c4043fd-0 eKWkVq sc-13344c9c-2 jwvfKN\">\n<div class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-0 kbEYga\" readability=\"6.3137254901961\"><button aria-checked=\"false\" aria-label=\"Save article to read later\" role=\"switch\" type=\"button\" class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-1 ikojFo\"><svg fill=\"none\" height=\"24\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" width=\"24\" class=\"sc-d1b14060-0 TUyao\"><path d=\"M5.75 4C5.75 3.86193 5.86193 3.75 6 3.75H18C18.1381 3.75 18.25 3.86193 18.25 4L18.25 19.7709L12.8004 16.9682C12.2981 16.7099 11.7019 16.7099 11.1996 16.9682L5.75 19.7709L5.75 4Z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"sc-f9e3ccff-2 tyHWF\">Save<\/span><\/button>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"sc-ba6ddcd9-0 yEdFV sc-d1b14060-3 cpmcTK\" role=\"tooltip\" readability=\"8.0816326530612\">\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your saved list to add more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button aria-label=\"Set font size to normal\" aria-pressed=\"true\" class=\"sc-f7fd8257-1 yiNod\">A<\/button><button aria-label=\"Set font size to larger\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"sc-f7fd8257-1 frqtnv\">A<\/button><button aria-label=\"Set font size to very large\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"sc-f7fd8257-1 frqrHP\">A<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"57\">\n<p>Australians are everywhere in the United States, but perhaps no one more so than Justin Wolfers. Turn on cable news and before long, you&rsquo;re sure to hear his familiar accent (undulled by nearly 30 years in the US) weighing in on Donald Trump&rsquo;s latest controversy.<\/p>\n<p>Wolfers, an economics professor at the University of Michigan, is beloved by television networks &ndash; CNN and MS NOW anyway, not so much Fox News &ndash; for his digestible commentary, entertaining style and willingness to harshly criticise the president. In other words, he gives good quote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;People kept calling me back,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;The Australia thing has a very interesting resonance in the United States. People say I am more direct than others because that&rsquo;s Aussie directness, and maybe they&rsquo;re right. But a different answer is: I&rsquo;m at a point in my career where I don&rsquo;t give a shit, and I&rsquo;m not here to impress you. Or maybe both are true.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-5119f468-1 guPQLf\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.252%2C$multiply_1.0648%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/19b93bc6bcd3c041b105f0b404bd2d09d2e9cebd, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.252%2C$multiply_2.1296%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/19b93bc6bcd3c041b105f0b404bd2d09d2e9cebd 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.252%2C$multiply_0.9206%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/19b93bc6bcd3c041b105f0b404bd2d09d2e9cebd, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.252%2C$multiply_1.8413%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/19b93bc6bcd3c041b105f0b404bd2d09d2e9cebd 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&ldquo;I do want to change the world,&rdquo; Australian professor Justin Wolfers says.  &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why anyone becomes an economist.&rdquo;\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_0.252,%24multiply_0.7725,%24ratio_1.5,%24width_756,%24x_0,%24y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/19b93bc6bcd3c041b105f0b404bd2d09d2e9cebd\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.252%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/19b93bc6bcd3c041b105f0b404bd2d09d2e9cebd, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.252%2C$multiply_1.545%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/19b93bc6bcd3c041b105f0b404bd2d09d2e9cebd 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"figure-caption\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-0 SuAZY\"><span>&ldquo;I do want to change the world,&rdquo; Australian professor Justin Wolfers says.  &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why anyone becomes an economist.&rdquo;<\/span><cite class=\"sc-4820f69c-2 jfXEoI\"><span class=\"sc-4820f69c-3 jfhtQZ\">Rosem Morton\/The New York Times<\/span><\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/12-weeks-jail-for-school-it-support-technician-who-took-upskirt-videos-of-teachers\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">&lt;div&gt;12 weeks' jail for school IT support technician who took upskirt videos of teachers&lt;\/div&gt;<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>And so, the Harvard-educated professor is climbing down &ndash; or rather, jumping off &ndash; his ivory tower. Wolfers has started his own media company, Platypus Economics, that aims to bring economics to the masses, and reach them where they are: YouTube, Spotify, Instagram &ndash; anywhere but the stale old mainstream media.<\/p>\n<p>He knows how this might look to his colleagues in the academy. &ldquo;Saying as a 53-year-old full professor of economics, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m going to YouTube&rsquo;, is wildly populist, low status,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like, &lsquo;What a wanker &ndash; not a real economist&rsquo;. But &hellip; I&rsquo;ve got a mission. I do want to change the world. That&rsquo;s why anyone becomes an economist.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Wolfers is acutely aware of the changing economics of media. In the US &ndash; much more so than in Australia &ndash; he watched as podcasting ousted radio as the dominant audio medium. No longer do people need a radio tower and a broadcasting licence. Now, the most influential and important personalities have nothing to do with radio at all, and radio as a format is all but dead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-13344c9c-3 fepRQx\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 hJILsT adWrapper noPrint sc-3f16ee48-9 sc-13344c9c-4 xHsUt efZfmU\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"54.116788321168\">\n<p>Television, too, is &ldquo;going the way of the horse and buggy&rdquo;. Wolfers describes how, in the pre-pandemic days, he might fly to New York, be chauffeured from the airport to CNN&rsquo;s studio in Manhattan, record a five-minute segment and be put up in a nice hotel before flying home. That kind of largesse is becoming unthinkable as TV faces a reckoning over the streaming revolution.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With video, you can now get 90 per cent of the quality for 10 per cent of the price,&rdquo; Wolfers says. &ldquo;And either people have to really value that last thing that gets you from 90 to 100 per cent, or television as we currently understand it is over.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He points to former Fox News host Megyn Kelly, who left the &ldquo;snake pit&rdquo; of cable TV after clashing with Trump in the 2016 election campaign. Kelly later reinvented herself as a Trump-loving MAGA darling, amassing millions of subscribers and tens of millions of monthly views on YouTube and audio platforms. She now outperforms Fox itself.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-5119f468-1 guPQLf\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_1.0648%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/7ea2e875630d8e499709f1c1b09187ce6edd0fd3, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_2.1296%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/7ea2e875630d8e499709f1c1b09187ce6edd0fd3 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_0.9206%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/7ea2e875630d8e499709f1c1b09187ce6edd0fd3, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_1.8413%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/7ea2e875630d8e499709f1c1b09187ce6edd0fd3 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Megyn Kelly commands a larger audience leveraging her own brand than when she was a host on Fox News.\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_0.378,%24multiply_0.7725,%24ratio_1.5,%24width_756,%24x_0,%24y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/7ea2e875630d8e499709f1c1b09187ce6edd0fd3\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/7ea2e875630d8e499709f1c1b09187ce6edd0fd3, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_1.545%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/7ea2e875630d8e499709f1c1b09187ce6edd0fd3 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"figure-caption\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-0 SuAZY\"><span>Megyn Kelly commands a larger audience leveraging her own brand than when she was a host on Fox News.<\/span><cite class=\"sc-4820f69c-2 jfXEoI\"><span class=\"sc-4820f69c-3 jfhtQZ\">Bloomberg<\/span><\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/migrant-acquitted-in-first-trial-over-us-border-military-zones\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">Migrant acquitted in first trial over US border military zones<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>&ldquo;When I read that, it blew my mind,&rdquo; Wolfers says. &ldquo;So, Megyn Kelly doesn&rsquo;t need Fox. Now, Fox needs Megyn Kelly, but they can&rsquo;t get her. Right-wing pundits understood this, and ran into that space &hellip; Everyone from Megyn Kelly to Tucker Carlson to [Alex Jones&rsquo;] <em>Infowars<\/em>, to the full set of spivs and arseholes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Part of Wolfers&rsquo; thinking in this new venture arose from a quandary about how to contribute to the public sphere in a world where Trump is back in the White House and the truth &ndash; including that of economics &ndash; seems to have less value than ever.<\/p>\n<p>It could have worked out differently. Wolfers&rsquo; wife, Betsey Stevenson, is herself a highly accomplished economist who served as chief economist at the Department of Labour under then-president Barack Obama and on his Council of Economic Advisers. A different election result on November 5, 2024, would have probably meant returning to Washington to work in a Democratic administration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-13344c9c-3 fepRQx\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 hJILsT adWrapper noPrint sc-3f16ee48-9 sc-13344c9c-4 xHsUt efZfmU\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"33.899794097461\">\n<figure class=\"sc-5119f468-1 guPQLf\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.105%2C$multiply_1.0648%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/03444cb8c8c697a4004400d08f5bf4c2a7be2475, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.105%2C$multiply_2.1296%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/03444cb8c8c697a4004400d08f5bf4c2a7be2475 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.105%2C$multiply_0.9206%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/03444cb8c8c697a4004400d08f5bf4c2a7be2475, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.105%2C$multiply_1.8413%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/03444cb8c8c697a4004400d08f5bf4c2a7be2475 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Wolfers and his economist wife Betsey Stevenson at the White House in 2023 for a state dinner with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and then-president Joe Biden.\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_0.105,%24multiply_0.7725,%24ratio_1.5,%24width_756,%24x_0,%24y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/03444cb8c8c697a4004400d08f5bf4c2a7be2475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.105%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/03444cb8c8c697a4004400d08f5bf4c2a7be2475, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.105%2C$multiply_1.545%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/03444cb8c8c697a4004400d08f5bf4c2a7be2475 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"figure-caption\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-0 SuAZY\"><span>Wolfers and his economist wife Betsey Stevenson at the White House in 2023 for a state dinner with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and then-president Joe Biden.<\/span><cite class=\"sc-4820f69c-2 jfXEoI\"><span class=\"sc-4820f69c-3 jfhtQZ\">AP<\/span><\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Instead, he is recording videos from his home in Ann Arbor, a short drive from Detroit, examining the impact of cuts to food stamps, or whether tariffs are really bringing back manufacturing jobs (spoiler alert: no).<\/p>\n<aside class=\"sc-c8170ed7-0 kBAoLZ noPrint\" data-testid=\"related-story\">\n<h2 data-testid=\"related-story-heading\" class=\"sc-c8170ed7-1 iHMtRN\">Related Article<\/h2>\n<div class=\"sc-679b6ed4-0 VKgwt\" data-an-position=\"1\" imagepositions=\"top\" data-testid=\"story-tile\">\n<figure imagesizes=\"[object Object]\" class=\"sc-8825a2fb-0 kZkxVd\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.2444%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1215%2C$x_0%2C$y_260\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/a18bebb6b39194bdb1eca3a0436b41ec2cb0b1c0, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.4889%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1215%2C$x_0%2C$y_260\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/a18bebb6b39194bdb1eca3a0436b41ec2cb0b1c0 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.2477%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1215%2C$x_0%2C$y_260\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/a18bebb6b39194bdb1eca3a0436b41ec2cb0b1c0, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.4955%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1215%2C$x_0%2C$y_260\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/a18bebb6b39194bdb1eca3a0436b41ec2cb0b1c0 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Justin Wolfers is the pin-up boy for a new brand of economics. \" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_1,%24multiply_0.4469,%24ratio_1.777778,%24width_1215,%24x_0,%24y_260\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/a18bebb6b39194bdb1eca3a0436b41ec2cb0b1c0\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.4469%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1215%2C$x_0%2C$y_260\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/a18bebb6b39194bdb1eca3a0436b41ec2cb0b1c0, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.8938%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1215%2C$x_0%2C$y_260\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/a18bebb6b39194bdb1eca3a0436b41ec2cb0b1c0 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ioInpc\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Other videos have Wolfers explain the economics of the Met Gala, or engage in back-and-forth, pub-style chats with American economics journalist Stacey Vanek Smith.<\/p>\n<p>One of the works he is most proud of is a video from May analysing the &ldquo;true&rdquo; cost of the war with Iran, based on oil price spikes, geopolitical risk and opportunity costs. He estimated the real price tag would be in the hundreds of billions of dollars, at a point when the Pentagon said it had cost $US25 billion (that has since risen to $US37.5 billion).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-5119f468-1 guPQLf\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_1.0648%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_315\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/cfbf5c4e706f10826c515c2a44001f75efbc5bed, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_2.1296%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_315\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/cfbf5c4e706f10826c515c2a44001f75efbc5bed 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_0.9206%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_315\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/cfbf5c4e706f10826c515c2a44001f75efbc5bed, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_1.8413%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_315\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/cfbf5c4e706f10826c515c2a44001f75efbc5bed 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Wolfers at his home studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His new media company Platypus Economics launched in May.\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_0.378,%24multiply_0.7725,%24ratio_1.5,%24width_756,%24x_0,%24y_315\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/cfbf5c4e706f10826c515c2a44001f75efbc5bed\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_315\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/cfbf5c4e706f10826c515c2a44001f75efbc5bed, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.378%2C$multiply_1.545%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_315\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/cfbf5c4e706f10826c515c2a44001f75efbc5bed 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"figure-caption\" class=\"sc-4820f69c-0 SuAZY\"><span>Wolfers at his home studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His new media company Platypus Economics launched in May.<\/span><cite class=\"sc-4820f69c-2 jfXEoI\"><span class=\"sc-4820f69c-3 jfhtQZ\">Rosem Morton\/The New York Times<\/span><\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Wolfers&rsquo; videos are not yet doing Megyn Kelly numbers, but he has amassed 80,000 subscribers on YouTube and 26,000 on Substack since launching just over two months ago. On his video excitedly announcing the project, one subscriber commented: &ldquo;Steve Irwin has been reincarnated as an economist! It&rsquo;s a great idea, actually.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-13344c9c-3 fepRQx\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"sc-54c4a04e-0 hJILsT adWrapper noPrint sc-3f16ee48-9 sc-13344c9c-4 xHsUt efZfmU\" data-testid=\"ad\"><small class=\"sc-54c4a04e-2 dhgkTF\">Advertisement<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-c502198b-0 NkURW\" readability=\"27.895652173913\">\n<p>Wolfers has also inked a partnership with Slate and signed a deal with the progressive new media company MeidasTouch.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"sc-c8170ed7-0 kBAoLZ noPrint\" data-testid=\"related-story\">\n<h2 data-testid=\"related-story-heading\" class=\"sc-c8170ed7-1 iHMtRN\">Related Article<\/h2>\n<div class=\"sc-679b6ed4-0 VKgwt\" data-an-position=\"1\" imagepositions=\"top\" data-testid=\"story-tile\">\n<figure imagesizes=\"[object Object]\" class=\"sc-8825a2fb-0 kZkxVd\">\n<div class=\"sc-d34e428-0 ikzfwY\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.2513%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1182%2C$x_164%2C$y_241\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/3757b79e7c0838d2f9682912a3793ff35404cf02, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.5025%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1182%2C$x_164%2C$y_241\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/3757b79e7c0838d2f9682912a3793ff35404cf02 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 750px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.2547%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1182%2C$x_164%2C$y_241\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/3757b79e7c0838d2f9682912a3793ff35404cf02, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.5093%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1182%2C$x_164%2C$y_241\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/3757b79e7c0838d2f9682912a3793ff35404cf02 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"EMBARGOED FOR GOOD WEEKEND, APRIL 1\/17 ISSUE. Justin Wolfers &amp; Betsey Stevenson photographed for Good Weekend by Tim Bauer. Styling by Bianca Chong\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/%24zoom_1,%24multiply_0.4594,%24ratio_1.777778,%24width_1182,%24x_164,%24y_241\/t_crop_custom\/q_86,f_auto\/3757b79e7c0838d2f9682912a3793ff35404cf02\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.4594%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1182%2C$x_164%2C$y_241\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/3757b79e7c0838d2f9682912a3793ff35404cf02, https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_1%2C$multiply_0.9188%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1182%2C$x_164%2C$y_241\/t_crop_custom\/q_62%2Cf_auto\/3757b79e7c0838d2f9682912a3793ff35404cf02 2x\" class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ioInpc\"><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re my strategic adviser, I&rsquo;m their chief economist,&rdquo; he says.<\/p>\n<p>You&rsquo;ll soon hear about data analytics firm Stata in his videos &ndash; part of a paid deal. &ldquo;Being an economist with product placement &ndash; that might be a first.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He is learning more about the media industry, and is struck by the agility of &ldquo;new media&rdquo;, where deals are done in days, compared to the slowness of print, TV and radio. Most importantly, he is enjoying himself.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m having a blast,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re going to have a midlife crisis, this is a great way to do it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>[embedded content]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><b><i>Get a note directly from our foreign <\/i><\/b><b><i>correspondents <\/i><\/b><b><i>on what&rsquo;s making headlines around the world. <\/i><\/b><b><i>Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter<\/i><\/b><b><i>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><sub>He&rsquo;s been called Steve Irwin reincarnated as an economist, and he wants to change the world<\/sub><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. AAA Australians are everywhere in the United States, but perhaps no one more so than Justin Wolfers. Turn on cable news and before long, you&rsquo;re sure to hear his familiar accent (undulled by nearly 30 years&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/hes-been-called-steve-irwin-reincarnated-as-an-economist-and-he-wants-to-change-the-world\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;He\u2019s been called Steve Irwin reincarnated as an economist, and he wants to change the world&rdquo;<\/span> &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}