Adam Thierer
- Former Senior Research Fellow
Adam Thierer was a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University from 2010-2022. He specializes in innovation, entrepreneurialism, Internet, and free-speech issues, with a particular focus on the public policy concerns surrounding emerging technologies.
Thierer serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Artificial Intelligence Commission on Competitiveness, Inclusion, and Innovation. He is also a member of the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project.
Thierer has authored and edited several books, including his foundational book on the freedom to innovate, Permissionless Innovation: The Continuing Case for Comprehensive Technological Freedom. In his latest book, Evasive Entrepreneurs and the Future of Governance: How Innovation Improves Economies and Governments, he makes the case that we should accept—and often even embrace—a certain amount of disruptive entrepreneurship that fosters innovation, drives economic growth, and makes government accountable to the governed. He examines how “evasive entrepreneurs”—innovators who don’t always conform to social or legal norms—are changing the world and challenging the status quo of governance, culture, and the way we earn a living.
Previously, Thierer was president of the Progress & Freedom Foundation, director of Telecommunications Studies at the Cato Institute, and a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He received his MA in international business management and trade theory at the University of Maryland and his BA in Journalism and Political Philosophy from Indiana University.
Latest Work
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Where is "Progress Studies" Going? | Progress Forum
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why Make Direct Car-Buying Illegal? | Central Maine
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Samuel Florman & the Continuing Battle Over Technological Progress | The Technology Liberation Front
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Contradictions and Confusion of Getting Americans to Buy Electric Cars | Discourse
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Case for Innovation and Optimism | Discourse
Latest Work
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Where is "Progress Studies" Going? | Progress Forum
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why Make Direct Car-Buying Illegal? | Central Maine
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Samuel Florman & the Continuing Battle Over Technological Progress | The Technology Liberation Front
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Contradictions and Confusion of Getting Americans to Buy Electric Cars | Discourse
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Case for Innovation and Optimism | Discourse
Latest Work
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Projecting the Growth and Economic Impact of the Internet of Things
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Removing Roadblocks to Intelligent Vehicles and Driverless Cars
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
How the Internet, the Sharing Economy, and Reputational Feedback Mechanisms Solve the "Lemons Problem"
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
How the Internet, the Sharing Economy, and Reputational Feedback Mechanisms Solve the “Lemons Problem”
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
The Sharing Economy and Consumer Protection Regulation: The Case for Policy Change
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
The Internet of Things and Wearable Technology: Addressing Privacy and Security Concerns without Derailing Innovation
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Research Papers Research Papers
The Sharing Economy and Consumer Protection Regulation: The Case for Policy Change
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
The Internet of Things and Wearable Technology: Addressing Privacy and Security Concerns without Derailing Innovation
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Removing Roadblocks to Intelligent Vehicles and Driverless Cars
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Privacy Law's Precautionary Principle Problem
Latest Work
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Public Interest Comment on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule
Latest Work
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Samuel Florman & the Continuing Battle Over Technological Progress | The Technology Liberation Front
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Contradictions and Confusion of Getting Americans to Buy Electric Cars | Discourse
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Case for Innovation and Optimism | Discourse
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Coming Industrial Policy Hangover | The Hill
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Precautionary Principle: A Plea for Proportionality | The Technology Liberation Front
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary