Podcast · 121 episodes
The Contrarians with Adam and Adir
by Adam Schwab and Adir Shiffman · English
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.
Latest episodes
AI Money Furnace, Lottery Deep Dive, Fair Work Loses the Plot and AirTree Fight Goes PublicThe hosts discuss (1) supermarket pricing “fraud” using Finnish dishwasher tablets as an example, (2) a quiz on country cost-of-living via the price of a meal, (3) whether AI spending will generate…28 Sep 2026 · 1 h 31 min
Meta Comes Back, JB Hi-Fi Gets Cheap, and Hello World’s $135m Acquisition Gets WeirdThe hosts discuss Meta’s share rebound driven by its AI app Muse, debate whether Muse’s “download” success is a meaningful metric versus privacy/guardrail risks, and then shift to Australian market…25 Sep 2026 · 50 min
Commercial Property Cycle, Retail’s Comeback, Aged Care and Finding Value Where Nobody’s Looking: with Commercial Property Gun, Tim SlatteryCommercial property investing through cycles—how yields/cap rates move with interest rates, why sectors rotate in and out of favour (industrial, retail, office), and where Tim Slattery sees value now…23 Sep 2026 · 37 min
All episodes
AI Money Furnace, Lottery Deep Dive, Fair Work Loses the Plot and AirTree Fight Goes PublicThe hosts discuss (1) supermarket pricing “fraud” using Finnish dishwasher tablets as an example, (2) a quiz on country cost-of-living via the price of a meal, (3) whether AI spending will generate…28 Sep 2026 · 1 h 31 min · 31 chapters
Meta Comes Back, JB Hi-Fi Gets Cheap, and Hello World’s $135m Acquisition Gets WeirdThe hosts discuss Meta’s share rebound driven by its AI app Muse, debate whether Muse’s “download” success is a meaningful metric versus privacy/guardrail risks, and then shift to Australian market…25 Sep 2026 · 50 min · 13 chapters
Commercial Property Cycle, Retail’s Comeback, Aged Care and Finding Value Where Nobody’s Looking: with Commercial Property Gun, Tim SlatteryCommercial property investing through cycles—how yields/cap rates move with interest rates, why sectors rotate in and out of favour (industrial, retail, office), and where Tim Slattery sees value now…23 Sep 2026 · 37 min · 14 chapters
Firmus Goes to the Moon, Anthropic’s Profit Problem, Founder Tax Chaos, Breakthrough Victoria Death March and Xero's Year from HellThe Contrarians episode 243 covers: (1) how “winners” stay focused in the moment, using Alexander Zverev’s US Open final as an example; (2) a political argument that Victorian Labor’s road neglect…21 Sep 2026 · 1 h 28 min · 30 chapters
Ask Us Anything: How Do We Get Real People Into Politics? + When Is It Time To Pivot? (with Chris Judd)Live Q&A with Chris Judd on (1) how to get “real people” into Australian politics, (2) what to do with a magic-wand productivity/debt mandate, and (3) when to pivot vs hold strategy.18 Sep 2026 · 20 min · 7 chapters
HMC Capital Comeback Tour and AFG Fights Housing Slump: With Star Fund Manager Luke LaretiveLuke Laretive (Seneca) discusses active small-cap investing, Seneca’s fee structure (“zero and 20” with a performance fee only above a watermark), and two Australian stocks: AFG Capital (Australian…16 Sep 2026 · 48 min · 23 chapters
Live Show, Macro Investing King Chris Judd joins, Apple’s $3,500 Foldable Bet, Australia’s Housing Mess, Cogstate and the Firmus MoneyshotLive episode covering Australia’s housing crisis (rents and prices), Apple’s rumored $3,500+ foldable iPhone pricing power, AI in legal tech (Harvey AI), and macro investing with guest Chris Judd.14 Sep 2026 · 1 h 19 min · 30 chapters
Is Yo-Chi our next Decacorn, AI Comes for the Lawyers and should CEOs also take Board SeatsThe Contrarians episode 239 covers three main topics: (1) whether CEOs/C-suite should sit on for-profit boards, debating time commitment, liability, and learning benefits; they argue not-for-profit…11 Sep 2026 · 45 min · 17 chapters
Expert360 Heartbreak, CTM is Back, Iran Stalemate gets less Stale and The Athlete Rich ListThe Contrarians episode 238 discusses (1) encouraging kids to run real businesses using AI, (2) North Melbourne’s firing of coach Alastair Clarkson and the unusual public bluntness of the club’s…7 Sep 2026 · 1 h 30 min · 39 chapters
Retail Deep Dive: Kogan shows the money and Cettire close to the edgeAustralia retail “durable goods” selloff and valuation gaps, led by Kogan’s strong earnings vs weaker peers (JB Hi-Fi, Nick Scali, Temple & Webster), plus a separate deep dive on Cettire (SETI) and…4 Sep 2026 · 35 min · 15 chapters
Canva’s Investor Dumpster Fire, Xero’s Shareholder Smackdown, CTM’s Lifesasver Deal and GTA's $3.5bn BetThe hosts discuss “deep tech” and hardware investment timelines, using Zoox’s sale as a cautionary tale about VC “valleys of death,” then pivot to other tech/business examples: Defcon merch…31 Aug 2026 · 1 h 34 min · 38 chapters
OpenAI Burns Billions, Temple & Webster Gets CrushedThe episode covers two business stories. First, OpenAI’s latest results: revenue rose to $6.7B (up from $5.7B), but operating losses worsened, with the operating loss widening to $12.3B (including…28 Aug 2026 · 39 min · 19 chapters
The World's Best Negotiator Returns To The ContrariansNegotiation strategy with a focus on psychology, time pressure, and structuring offers to avoid value loss at the finish.26 Aug 2026 · 57 min · 27 chapters
GYG’s Blowout Result, Adir’s Luggage Startup, Sydney's Pullman Five and Culture Amp’s AI FightThe hosts trade travel mishaps and tech tips, then pivot to cybersecurity/AI impersonation risks, and end with a debate about media handling of sexual-assault allegations involving the Sydney Swans…24 Aug 2026 · 1 h 37 min · 30 chapters
Housing Crash Gets Real, NVIDIA’s AI Factory Gamble, Canva’s MarkdownAustralia’s housing crash (Sydney -16% annualised, Melbourne -13%), government/rate/inflation implications, and “narrative management”; NVIDIA’s $500B AI “factory” compute financing platform and…21 Aug 2026 · 38 min · 18 chapters
Tech Bros Goes Off, DEF CON Hackers, Waymo vs Zoox, and The LinkedIn AlgorithmAdam Schwab and Adir Shiffman discuss: (1) Waymo vs Zoox self-driving experiences in San Francisco, including route limits (no 101 highway) and street-hailing behavior; (2) why “AI” and “API”…17 Aug 2026 · 1 h 26 min · 33 chapters
Australia's Most Powerful VCs Join the PodAustralia’s early-stage venture capital scene, how VCs select founders, managing founder transitions, venture performance/valuations amid market shifts, and the impact of Australian tax policy on…14 Aug 2026 · 49 min · 19 chapters
Canva’s AI Crisis, Zoox Changes Everything, Xero’s Ad Disaster, Jetstar’s Bag War, and Atlassian’s Profit PivotThe hosts discuss Las Vegas business/travel observations, then pivot to tech and business news: Zoox’s fully driverless autonomous vehicle experience, Xero’s questionable US marketing (“zero” ad in…10 Aug 2026 · 1 h 56 min · 41 chapters
Canva’s $60bn Problem and eBay’s Corporate Terrorism ScandalTwo business stories. First, Canva’s slowing growth and valuation debate: it reported 30% revenue growth (12 months to May), reaffirmed a ~$42B valuation, and has ~$1B cash; hosts argue this…7 Aug 2026 · 25 min · 8 chapters
AI Fund Explodes, Alan Joyce is Back, Victoria’s Labor Reset, Fauci’s COVID Reckoning and Credit Card ChaosThe episode is a wide-ranging contrarian discussion covering: Victoria Labor’s leadership reset (Ben Carroll replacing Jacinta Allan), the economic/political logic behind rolling back and then…3 Aug 2026 · 1 h 24 min · 27 chapters
Tesla Going Down...Down, Immutable’s Massive Fall and Australia’s Unicorn BubbleTesla’s June-quarter results show collapsing operating income despite higher revenue, driven by price cuts and rising costs; the episode argues Tesla’s valuation is still dominated by “Elon religion”…31 Jul 2026 · 37 min · 13 chapters
AI Bubble, Waymo Ditches Uber, Jacinta Allan’s Disaster, KPMG Scandal and Jim Chalmers’ Crashes Housing in All the Wrong PlacesAustralian politics and economy (Labor factionalism; Ed Husic’s Gaza-related controversy; Jacinta Allan’s polling and SRL/transport and housing failures; unemployment/underemployment and “work from…27 Jul 2026 · 1 h 29 min · 32 chapters
SpaceX Returns to Earth, Tesla's Shrinking Powers and Atlassian Ruins LoomBusiness round-up on (1) why luxury hotel prices are soaring despite only modest occupancy gains, (2) why SpaceX’s valuation has plunged alongside broader AI hype fears, (3) whether Starlink’s real…24 Jul 2026 · 46 min · 16 chapters
Xero Gets Whacked, 4DMedical’s Meme Stock Moment, SEN Circles ARN, Uber's Loyalty Lock Up, and Adam’s Safari Business LessonsA mix of safari storytelling and business/market lessons, then a deep dive into subscription economics and Uber One, followed by a quiz and a political-philosophy segment on capitalism vs…20 Jul 2026 · 1 h 43 min · 35 chapters