Get the fearless truth about start-ups and corporate Australia from guys that give you the hard facts, not the company line. Hear Luxury Escapes co-founder Adam Schwab and Catapult Sports Exec Chairman Adir Shiffman provide the inside word on the biggest stories in business with a contrarian take from the guys who sit on both sides of the table. New episodes dropping weekly.
Adam and Adir discuss Ben Carroll replacing Jacinta Allan, Victoria’s work-from-home laws, credit card fees, AI chatbots, bad customer experience, the “logo CEO” problem, Qantas, Alan Joyce, self-managed super property changes, Gen Z drinking habits, OSW and the battery boom, Anthony Fauci, COVID lockdowns, Leopold Aschenbrenner’s AI fund blow-up, Anthropic, Nvidia and the AI bubble. 01:07 - Victoria's Leadership Change 06:52 - Credit Cards 13:20 - AI Customer Service 18:26 - Logo Changes and Rebrands 27:08 - Alan Joyce 41:08. - Property Rules 51:59 - OSW 1:03:22 - Fauci, COVID and the Pandemic Reckoning 1:16:30 - Leo Lats, AI Leverage and Bubble Behaviour Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam and Adir discuss Tesla’s profit collapse, Elon Musk’s valuation premium, robotaxis, self-driving, BYD, SpaceX, Starlink, Richard White, Immutable, blockchain gaming, NFTs, crypto tokens, Australia’s unicorn bubble and the $3.5 billion valuation that never made sense. Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam and Adir discuss the Labor Party conference, Ed Husic, Jacinta Allan’s political problems, Victoria’s unemployment rate, a 1998 celebrity earnings quiz, Etched and the AI chip race, Nvidia, OpenAI, KPMG’s Lendlease audit scandal, Waymo vs Uber, Revolut, bank fees, Jim Chalmers’ housing policy and Australia’s property risk. Watch the video Adam mentions: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DbNXhESCeXM/ 2:06 - Ed Husic and the Gaza Debate 8:46 - Jacinta Allen and Victorian Labor 13:45 - Work From Home Laws 19:19 - Highest Earning Celebrities of 1998 35:33 - Nvidia's Margin Problem 57:11 - KPMG 1:00:36 - Waymo 1:09:53 - Mid Roll 1:10:17 - Revolut 1:17:53 - First Home Buyers Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam and Adir discuss luxury hotel inflation, Instagram status games, SpaceX’s valuation drop, Starlink’s powers, Tesla vs BYD, Australia’s best-selling cars, Atlassian’s Loom problem, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Adam’s safari life. Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam and Adir discuss safari business lessons, England vs Argentina, Murderbot Diaries and $0.99 Kindle funnels, Uber One, Lux Plus, Marxism, social democracy, Xero’s CEO share sale, SEN circling ARN, Jackie O, 4DMedical, Pro Medicus comparisons and meme stock valuations. Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ 00:00 - Adam’s Safari Experience 11:08 - England vs Argentina and Why Playing Defence Kills Winners 15:35 - 99c Kindle Funnel 22:14 - Uber One vs Lux Plus 31:20 - Collective Noun Quiz 36:17 - Marxism & Capitalism 55:10 - Xero’s CEO Share Sale 1:15:38 - SEN & ARN 1:26:04 - 4DMedical See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam & Adir examine Bending Spoon's extraordinary rise, its blockbuster IPO, comparisons with Berkshire Hathaway and Constellation Software, the risks created by its aggressive use of leverage, and whether Bending Spoons is an ingenious software conglomerate or an enormously overvalued house of cards. Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam and Adir discuss EasyJet and the economics of discount airlines, Telstra’s outage, Twinkies, protein mania, gambling, Norway’s sporting machine, work from home obesity, Nvidia and Fermi’s AI bubble, Bitcoin, TEG, Ticketek and Live Nation. Watch the Luton Airport Prank Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya_LluCl16k Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Happy Saturday! We’re answering another batch of your questions this week. This week you asked: 🧠 How should someone with a strong career but average academic results explain ADHD and employability concerns to a potential employer? 🤝 Should Australia adopt broader employee ownership models to help workers build wealth and support retiring SME owners? 🇦🇺 What is Australia’s greatest invention in terms of global impact or global good? Have something you want Adam and Adir to answer next? Drop it in the comments! Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam and Adir discuss London’s heat wave, Victoria’s crime wave, Labor’s housing mess, the world’s most profitable companies, Nvidia and the AI bubble, remote work, Canva vs Figma, Koala, SkinKandy, The Man Shake and the latest Corporate Travel disaster. 00:00 - London's Heat Wave 06:00 - Victoria's Crime Wave and the Housing Debate 14:00 - The 30 Most Profitable Companies 23:00 - The AI Bubble, Nvidia and the $7 Trillion Question 44:00 - CGT, Capitalism and Labor's Budget Backlash 54:00 - Remote Work, Gen Z and Canva's Office Crackdown 1:05:01 - Koala, SkinKandy and the ASX IPO Problem 1:10:00 - Man Shake 1:20:00 - Corporate Travel's Latest Disaster Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Happy Saturday! We’re back with another round of listener questions. This week you asked: 🗳️ Is Australia’s ageing population creating a scenario of democratic failure? 🏛️ What does the latest Victorian Liberal Party turmoil say about the party’s internal culture and ability to govern? ✡️ Do Adam and Adir consider themselves practising Jews, culturally Jewish, or somewhere in between? Got a question you’d love the guys to tackle next? Drop it in the comments! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam and Adir break down whether Canva has missed its golden window to sell, why Karl’s split with Nine might be a brilliant media move, and how the government’s startup tax carve-outs could smash founders and employees. Plus, Will joins for a quick behind-the-scenes update on The Contrarians as a standalone media business. 00:00 - Update from Will 18:00 - Choosing a Chair for a Business 35:00 - World Cup Lessons 41:00 - Karl Stefanovic 1:02:00 - Claude Design 1:23:00 - More CGT Discussion Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Scott Middleton from Terem Capital joins Adam and Adir to break down Accent Group’s business model, the strength of The Athlete’s Foot, the Hoka opportunity, the Glue Store write-off, the risks in fashion retail, and whether Frasers is trying to buy the company too cheaply. Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The guys discuss KPMG’s spectacular implosion, Labor’s chaotic CGT Reverse Ferret, the ATO’s small business scare campaign, Big W’s surprisingly good AI chatbot, Ferrari’s electric future, and Adore Beauty’s brutal market reality. 00:00 - LinkedIn Thoughts 09:15 - Startup Cities Quiz 15:00 - Big W Chat Bot Experience 27:50 - ATO Small Business Ads 30:00 - Labor's CGT Semi Backdown 44:00 - ASX 51:00 - KPMG 1:08:00 - Ferrari 1:12:00 - Adore Beauty Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Happy Saturday! It’s time for another round of listener Q&A. This week you asked: 💉 As GLP-1s and peptides become more widespread, which industries could be most affected over the next decade? 🤖 Why are younger people becoming so angry about AI being framed as “the next big thing”? 🛋️ Is modern life now optimised for comfort at the expense of meaning? Got something you want Adam and Adir to tackle in a future episode? Drop it in the comments! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Happy Saturday! We’re back with another round of listener Q&A. This week you asked: 🏨 Why can some aggregators undercut the original seller, while others charge customers a premium? 📈 Has the budget changed the incentives for investors taking risk on growth stocks? 🛒 With Barbeques Galore entering administration, are Aussie consumers pulling back harder than the data suggests? Have a question you want Adam and Adir to answer next? Drop it in the comments! Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam and Adir go deep on SkinKandy, share the latest on the budget, look at the murder of young Brit Henry Nowak and announce which listener has won a $500 Luxury Escapes voucher. 00:00 - The Government's Fuel Solution? 13:00 - Labor's Fall in Victoria 17:42 - More Budget Fallout 40:46 - Police Racism in the UK 53:44 - SkinKandy (Deep Dive) Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Matt Heine, CEO of Netwealth, joins Adam Schwab and Adir Shiffman for a deep dive into one of Australia’s most impressive technology and financial services success stories. Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adam and Adir sit down with Frank Greef, the man who led the LinkedIn campaign against the government’s disastrous budget—and copped a slap from Albo and the Nine papers for his trouble. Plus, the guys break down the latest from OpenAI and Anthropic, the looming SpaceX float, SexyLand’s unsexy financials, and an update on Corporate Travel Management. Stick around to find out how to enter our new prize draw! 00:00 - Intro & Substack News 3:50 - OpenAI and Greg Brockman 12:54 - Housing Minister Clare O'Neal's Comments 18:35 - Siteminder 19:30 - Curtis Stone 23:30 - SexyLand 27:40 - Frank Greeff 45:30 - Anthropic 52:50 - CTM 1:02:05 - SpaceX Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SiteMinder has been caught in the ASX tech sell-off, but the hotel software business may be stronger than its share price suggests. Adam, Adir and Scott Middleton from Terem Capital break down the company’s subscription revenue, transaction growth, AI risk, valuation, profitability, and whether the market has overreacted. Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
