Podcast · 121 episodes
The Contrarians with Adam and Adir, page 3
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 3
Ask Us Anything: AI Effecting Entry Level Jobs + The Value of Personal BrandsEpisode 198 (“Ask Us Anything”) covers three questions: (1) whether AI will harm entry-level jobs, (2) the value of personal brands on social media, and (3) whether property-investor wealth…24 Apr 2026 · 23 min · 11 chapters
Shark Tank Star and VC Steve Baxter, Mythos, Will Quantum Kill Encryption, Pope Double Standards, Data Centres, Glydways and HermesThe episode debates whether quantum computing poses a bigger near-term security risk than AI, using Mythos (an Anthropic-linked model) as the catalyst.20 Apr 2026 · 1 h 45 min · 49 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Researching when investing in public companies + Was the Prime Minister’s Address Necessary!?(1) How much research to do before investing in public companies; (2) whether Prime Minister Albanese’s national address was justified; (3) advice for moving on after leaving a beloved job.17 Apr 2026 · 18 min · 6 chapters
WFH Blow, SpaceX IPO, Droneshield Deckchair Shuffle, GYG Hits Back and CTM Debacle ContinuesThe hosts trade personal updates (Sydney trip, skiing at Whistler, time-loop movies) and then pivot to tech and geopolitics.13 Apr 2026 · 1 h 40 min · 29 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Finding enough time to do it all + Starting a business in 2026 vs 2006How to find time to do everything via parallelization and prioritization; how starting a business in 2026 compares to 2006; and how organizations should choose and avoid lock-in to a single AI…10 Apr 2026 · 19 min · 5 chapters
CostCo, Kathmandu Deep Dive, Albo makes Petrol Crisis Worse, RBA’s Credit Card Surcharge Disgrace, Waymo Love and Victorian Government Gets Something RightThe hosts debate Costco’s real-world value versus its reputation, then pivot to Australian politics and economics: fuel excise cuts allegedly worsening petrol shortages, RBA credit card surcharge…6 Apr 2026 · 1 h 22 min · 30 chapters
Special Bonus: Carma Deep Dive with special guest, Scott MiddletonBonus deep dive on Karma (Australian online used-car dealer) and its Carvana-like model; discussion centers on valuation after a weak ASX debut, whether the business can reach EBIT break-even, and…3 Apr 2026 · 50 min · 18 chapters
Canva’s Profitless Profit, Smiggle Slumps, Catapult Flying, CGT Debacle, the Incredible Benefits of Autonomous Cars, Firmus and Adam Gets Run over by a Golf BuggyThe hosts cover airline delays and fuel/air-traffic bottlenecks; Netflix mega-budget content economics; near-misses and the case for autonomous cars; a business/markets discussion with Catapult…30 Mar 2026 · 1 h 15 min · 31 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Should fuel price surges mean people work from home? + What does it mean to be Australian?Whether fuel price surges justify forcing people back to offices; what it means to be Australian; what traditional institution shouldn’t be disrupted.27 Mar 2026 · 19 min · 4 chapters
Rich List, Atlassian Crash, Seek Horrors, Operation Epic Fury, Biennial Disgrace, Councils Behaving Badly and Adir’s Great and Terrible CallsThe Contrarians (episode 189) covers fraud/dishonest incentives in autism diagnosis funding, a biotech/stock-market debate about Hims & Hers and Novo/Eucalyptus settlement dynamics, Tesla’s electric…23 Mar 2026 · 1 h 41 min · 43 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Are electric trucks the future? + What if the State of Victoria was a company?Episode 186 is an Ask Us Anything covering (1) whether electric trucks will replace diesel in Australia and (2) what “Victoria as a company” implies about governance, plus a banking/fiat-currency…20 Mar 2026 · 25 min · 12 chapters
Atlassian Sacks Thousands, Koala to IPO, Grace Tame’s Disgrace, Star Directors Get Off, Best AI Platforms and Biggest EV AdoptersThe hosts debate Australian legal/political hypocrisy and regulation (Star casino case; “junket” and money laundering), then pivot to AI’s real-world limits (Gemini/Claude/ChatGPT handling…16 Mar 2026 · 1 h 28 min · 31 chapters
Ask Us Anything: The dwindling radio industry + How did the market get GYG so wrong?Ask Us Anything on (1) why Australia’s traditional broadcast radio is declining despite strong talkback brands, and (2) whether the market mispriced GYG (Guzman y Gomez) at IPO.13 Mar 2026 · 32 min · 9 chapters
Life360 Deep Dive, Dorsey’s Block Shambles, Kyle & Jackie Implode, OpenAI Raise in Doubt, Grand Prix and World’s Most Valuable Sporting Franchises.Melbourne Grand Prix fallout (asbestos pit-facility costs, hotel no-shows), “indiscretion” in public business talk, a Churchill book/quote segment, two finance quizzes (household debt/GDP; most…9 Mar 2026 · 1 h 28 min · 26 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Negative experiences in business deals + Would you rather Human or AI phone agents?Episode 182 is an “Ask Us Anything” with three listener questions. Topic 1: dealing with unpleasant/possibly unethical people in business deals.6 Mar 2026 · 34 min · 6 chapters
Death of a Tyrant, Eucalyptus Riches, Open AI’s Lofty Valuation, Cettire in Tatters, CTM Clinging On and Jacinda Hates NZDebate over Israel’s daylight strike and the assassination of Iran’s Ayatollah; moral arguments about “good vs evil,” criticism of far-left/Greens reactions, and whether Western democracies must…2 Mar 2026 · 1 h 50 min · 42 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Hiding Failures on LinkedIn? + Milking opportunities where your business succeeds publicly!Episode 180 of The Contrarians (Ask Us Anything) tackles three questions. First, guests discuss a $10B global valuation drop after UK property portal Rightmove blamed poor performance on AI.27 Feb 2026 · 27 min · 8 chapters
Eucalyptus Sale Deep Dive, is Waymo an Uber killer, Winnings’ Winnings, Victoria becomes an official Crime State, Adir Visits Lakemba and special guest business publishing legend, Chris JanzVictorian politics and corruption; a quiz on Fortune 500 turnover leaders; self-driving/EV competition (Waymo vs Uber) and implications for Uber’s valuation; Street Talk’s report on Elliston…23 Feb 2026 · 1 h 47 min · 29 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Is AI changing productivity expectations in business? + Are whole body MRIs getting more popular + Wes Maas investing in AIEpisode 178 is an “Ask Us Anything” covering (1) whole-body MRI screening and liability, (2) whether AI is changing productivity expectations at work, and (3) Wes Maas/Mars Holdings investing in AI…20 Feb 2026 · 30 min · 10 chapters
Special guest Joe Aston joins, Winter Olympics Sexism, the Rise and Fall of Luke Sayers, Corporate Travel Management and Temple & Webster CrashEpisode 177 of The Contrarians (Adam Schwab, Adir Schiffman) covers several topics.16 Feb 2026 · 1 h 42 min · 36 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Finding balanced views in modern journalism + How AI will impact spreadsheets + Meditation as a tool for successAsk Us Anything on (1) finding balanced views in modern journalism, (2) how AI will impact spreadsheets/decision-making, and (3) meditation as a tool for success.13 Feb 2026 · 28 min · 10 chapters
Saas Crash! AI Collapse. Atlassian Hammered. Xero Obliterated. BTC Decimated. CTM Founder Lives Large. Will Canva Take Down Australian VCs.The hosts discuss a broad market selloff in “SaaS” and AI-linked stocks, arguing it resembles the late-1990s dot-com bubble more than a clean “AI winners vs losers” reset.9 Feb 2026 · 1 h 37 min · 37 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Are traditional medical clinics still worth it? + Is Substack undermining traditional media?Episode 174 is an “Ask Us Anything” covering two main topics. First, traditional Australian GP clinics: Adam and Adir argue that the core value of an in-person GP relationship hasn’t really changed…6 Feb 2026 · 36 min · 9 chapters
$16 billion IREN Deep Dive, OnlyFans For Sale, Escalante's Fall, will Moltbook take over the world, Jamie Pherous Cuts and Runs and Aus OpenThe episode is a wide-ranging “Contrarians” discussion mixing sport, politics, AI, and media/finance.2 Feb 2026 · 2 h 9 min · 52 chapters