Podcast · 121 episodes
The Contrarians with Adam and Adir, page 2
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.
All episodes, page 2
Deep Dive: Bending Spoons - Genius or Disaster?Bending Spoons’ rise via serial acquisitions and whether its “buy/strip/milk” model is genius or a leveraged “cigar butt” disaster.17 Jul 2026 · 53 min · 25 chapters
Nvidia's AI Trade, Telstra’s Disaster, EasyJet’s Takeover Fight, Protein Mania, and TEG Loses the PlotA wide-ranging “contrarians” episode covering (1) discount airline travel and a UK EasyJet takeover fight, (2) Telstra’s Australian network outage and the political response, (3) US snack-food…13 Jul 2026 · 1 h 49 min · 38 chapters
Ask Us Anything: How do you explain average grades? + Should workers own more of the businesses they help build?Three listener questions. 1) Explaining “average” grades in hiring, including whether an ADHD diagnosis is a legitimate explanation or a cop-out.10 Jul 2026 · 24 min · 8 chapters
AI’s $7 Trillion Bubble, Corporate Travel’s Next Disaster, Work From Home Revolts, and The Man Shake Buy BackThe episode ranges from Australian politics and housing distortions to a finance/tech deep dive on AI’s “$7 trillion bubble,” ending with a debate about whether AI is creating real productivity or…6 Jul 2026 · 1 h 44 min · 42 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Is Australia’s ageing population breaking democracy? + What does the Victorian Liberal Party turmoil say about its future?Episode 218 is an “Ask Us Anything” with three listener questions.3 Jul 2026 · 25 min · 10 chapters
Canva’s AI Crisis, Karl Stefanovic’s Podcast Genius, Labor’s CGT Shambles, and Claude Design Changes EverythingThe Contrarians episode 217 discusses (1) behind-the-scenes professionalization of their podcast/media business, (2) how they secure and challenge high-profile guests, (3) board/advisory strategy and…29 Jun 2026 · 1 h 51 min · 35 chapters
Deep Dive: The Rise and Fall and Takeover Fight for Accent Group, Australia's Shoe GiantAccent Group (ASX: AX1) and the hostile takeover fight by UK retailer Frasers Group (Sports Direct/JD Sports owner), amid collapsing margins and a recent profit drop.26 Jun 2026 · 55 min · 23 chapters
KPMG Scandal Explodes, Labor’s CGT Shambles, ATO Scares Small Business, Ferrari Goes Electric, and Adore Beauty Goes SidewaysThe hosts discuss LinkedIn hostility and algorithms, then a quiz about global startup ecosystems.22 Jun 2026 · 1 h 21 min · 22 chapters
Ask Us Anything: How will GLP-1s change the economy? + Why are young people turning against AI?How GLP-1s/peptides will reshape Australia’s economy (first- and second-order effects across industries), why young Americans are angry about AI, and whether modern life optimizes convenience at the…19 Jun 2026 · 33 min · 13 chapters
Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson Joins the Pod. And, Robyn Denholm cosplays Founders, Elon a Trillionaire and the great Xero Pay Rip-OffThe hosts discuss Australia’s World Cup moment (including Catapult tech), then pivot to cost-of-living/consumer spending signals in Melbourne furniture sales, Melbourne airport taxi pricing/rorting…15 Jun 2026 · 2 h 12 min · 51 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Why do some aggregators beat direct prices? + Is the budget punishing risky investors?Two “Ask Us Anything” segments plus a final listener question. They explain why some aggregators (Luxury Escapes) undercut direct prices while others (Uber Eats) charge premiums, using a “jobs to be…12 Jun 2026 · 32 min · 15 chapters
SkinKandy Deep Dive, Labor Revolting, More Budget Woes, and Is the UK Racist Against White People?The hosts discuss (1) government spending and fuel-saving ads, arguing the fuel crisis messaging is patronising and the savings are small relative to campaign cost; (2) Victoria’s alleged crime and…8 Jun 2026 · 1 h 43 min · 34 chapters
Matt Heine on How Netwealth Became One of Australia’s Greatest Tech Success StoriesNetwealth’s origin story and scaling into a major Australian tech-enabled wealth platform; how it serves financial advisers, navigates Royal Commission fallout, and manages governance/liquidity as a…5 Jun 2026 · 52 min · 18 chapters
Meme Hero Frank Greeff Joins Pod, OpenAI vs Anthropic, Clare O'Neil's Budget Slip, SexyLand get Hot, CTM Crumbles and is SpaceX the Most Overvalued IPO Ever?Contrarian tech and politics roundup plus Australian business commentary.1 Jun 2026 · 1 h 20 min · 34 chapters
Special Bonus: Why SiteMinder Could Be the Most Misunderstood Stock on the ASXA deep dive on ASX-listed SiteMinder, framed as a “misunderstood” stock.29 May 2026 · 58 min · 29 chapters
New Contrarians CEO, Boomer's Budget, GYG Comes Home, EY Parental Leave RortThe Contrarians welcomes Will Hayward as co-founder and CEO, discussing how to scale a podcast media business (pods as the core product, informed insider hosts, multimedia, events, subscriptions,…25 May 2026 · 1 h 38 min · 35 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Should Australians consider leaving for Singapore or Dubai? + How should renters think about the latest budget?Whether Australians should emigrate to tax-favorable hubs (Singapore, UAE/Dubai, Israel, New Zealand, Milan) and how the federal budget’s CGT and housing impacts renters; plus why non-residents are…22 May 2026 · 27 min · 7 chapters
Budget Destroys Gen Z Hope, Xero Calamity Continues, Atlassian Rebounds, Lime to IPO and Temple & Webster CrunchedThe hosts dissect Australia’s federal budget, arguing it “keeps cutting costs” while actually raising taxes—especially via negative gearing removal for non-homeowners and major capital gains tax…18 May 2026 · 1 h 40 min · 41 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Programmable digital currency and selling a small VC-backed businessProgrammable digital currency as a fiscal/control tool; advice on selling a small VC-backed, profitable but non–power-law business; how retail store layout affects customer perception and sales.15 May 2026 · 22 min · 7 chapters
Federal Government Destroys Startups, Negative Gearing Stays for the Rich, is SBF the World’s Best Investor, Droneshield, Hamish Douglass and MarathonsThe episode is a rapid-fire contrarian take on Australia’s upcoming federal budget and broader economic policy, plus a long segment on high-profile tech/finance stories.11 May 2026 · 1 h 40 min · 32 chapters
Ask Us Anything: My boss is working from home but we’re in all the office + Dealing with loss and it’s impact on work“Ask Us Anything” episode covering (1) managing a team when the boss works from home/interstate, (2) young adults’ financial insecurity and housing affordability, and (3) how losing a parent reshapes…8 May 2026 · 25 min · 6 chapters
Cochlear Crashes, Firmus IPO Drama, Self Driving vs Flying, Batteries Step Up, Uber x Expedia, Ghost Buses and the Experience EconomyStartup/VC culture and AI hype (Sydney’s Blackbird Sunrise events, Canva/Anthropic chatter), Firmus IPO delay and “AI data center” bubble dynamics, Uber–Expedia hotel partnership economics, and…4 May 2026 · 1 h 40 min · 34 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Trump’s latest assassination attempt + Are classic trades the most reliable career path?Episode 200 “Ask Us Anything” covers (1) whether classic trades (plumbing, electricians, carpentry) are AI-proof, (2) what to do when extra work isn’t rewarded with a promotion/pay rise, and (3)…1 May 2026 · 24 min · 7 chapters
Heidi Health, Canva, Mecca’s Rise and Rise, NDIS Flesh Wound, CTM Disaster Gets Worse, Temple & Webster CEO Shock and Copilot FailThe episode is a contrarian roundup of corporate governance and business mismanagement, plus brand/tech commentary and Australian policy debate.27 Apr 2026 · 1 h 29 min · 35 chapters