Podcast · 121 episodes
The Contrarians with Adam and Adir, page 5
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 5
Ask Us Anything: How much money is too much? + Boomers with Wealth + Seaweed Start UpQ&A episode 149 on (1) how much money is “enough” vs ego, (2) whether luxury spending is driven by boomers who feel wealthier, and (3) whether SeaForest’s seaweed IPO is a good strategy.14 Nov 2025 · 28 min · 7 chapters
RBA Blows It (Again), Pet Circle Horror Show, Navan IPO Deep Dive, Richo Gone, Mamdani Takes NYC, Luxury Escapes’ Goes to the Beach and Adir turns QuizmasterThe episode argues the RBA’s failure to cut rates was “right” for inflation/unemployment tradeoffs but politically mishandled; it claims earlier rate cuts were driven by media pressure and led to…10 Nov 2025 · 1 h 47 min · 36 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Is the Welcome to Country Overdone? + Should businesses be more responsible with data +Whether “Welcome to Country”/“Acknowledgement of Country” in workplaces has become performative, and how much individuals should protect their own data as breaches rise.7 Nov 2025 · 25 min · 6 chapters
ASX 20 Bubble, Jumbo Deep Dive, Fyxer, Halloween and Jordy from Great WrapThe Contrarians episode 146 mixes Melbourne life (Cup Day, Halloween, cricket, bike theft), a sharp critique of Victorian Labor governance and property-rights enforcement, and market commentary (ASX…3 Nov 2025 · 1 h 49 min · 37 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Should SPP's be COMPULSARY? + Big Companies Paying NO Income Tax + Australia's Dying Music Festival Scene.“Ask Us Anything” covering (1) whether Australian companies should be required to offer Share Purchase Plans (SPPs) in discounted capital raises, (2) why ~30% of large companies pay no income tax and…31 Oct 2025 · 25 min · 4 chapters
Journos WFH Fail, Catapult Goes Large, Atlassian’s Horrendous Buy, Biggest Rocketships, Delta’s Upmarket Win and Adir’s Celebrity EncounterTech and business contrarian takes on work-from-home “failures,” SaaS roll-up integration problems, airline premium seating economics, and AI “cringe”/hype; plus a personal celebrity encounter and a…27 Oct 2025 · 1 h 52 min · 32 chapters
Ask Us Anything: How Does Adir READ SO MUCH? + Performance Marketing with Fixed Costs?Episode 143 is an “Ask Us Anything” Q&A with Adam Schwab and Adir Shifman. Guests: Adam and Adir (hosts). Topic 1: How Adir reads so much.24 Oct 2025 · 38 min · 12 chapters
ChatGPT Jumps the Shark, VC Troubles, Xero Pay Fight, Nike Stores Gone, NRMA Uncovered and Waymo ExpandsThe hosts (Adam Schwab and Adir Shiffman) riff on Australian public policy and bureaucracy, then shift into business/industry stories: NRMA leadership change and governance, plus other…20 Oct 2025 · 1 h 51 min · 40 chapters
Ask Us Anything: US H1B VISA Fee in the Tech Industry + Should I Get a Mentor?Episode 139 (“Ask Us Anything”) covers three listener questions. Topic 1: the US H-1B visa fee change and tech labor.17 Oct 2025 · 34 min · 11 chapters
AI Boom Keeps Booming, Deep Dive into Australia’s Secret $6b Business, Pokémon Cards, Board Games and Founders Behaving BadlyThe hosts discuss the ongoing AI boom, then pivot to a mix of business and culture: Australia’s “secret” $6b business (implied to be gym/health club franchising via Keiser), a documentary about board…13 Oct 2025 · 1 h 44 min · 26 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Should Women Pay LESS Tax!? + Albanese's 5% Home Deposit SchemeDebate on Albanese Labor’s 5% home deposit scheme (federal government guarantee/“insurer of last resort”) and a listener Q about whether women should pay less income tax; plus a business-starting…10 Oct 2025 · 33 min · 8 chapters
Atlassian Buys Again, EA Games Breaks LBO Record, SCA Seven Governance Mess, Australia's Most Famous Family, Cameo and Catapult Hits the Big TimeThe Contrarians (Ep. 138) covers Israel’s capital debate (Jerusalem vs Tel Aviv), fasting and personal anecdotes, business/wealth inequality, and multiple tech/business news items: EA’s planned $55B+…6 Oct 2025 · 1 h 34 min · 29 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Elon Musk the World's Richest Person? + Can we build stuff quicker in Australia?Q&A episode covering (1) Elon Musk reaching ~$500B personal wealth and what it signals for markets and society, (2) why Australian infrastructure projects take longer than places like Croatia, and…3 Oct 2025 · 21 min · 10 chapters
OpenAI a $500b Ponzi? Canva Breaks Hearts, Latrobe Crunched by ASIC, Stubhub IPO, Adir’s Worst Airline and is Australia the Red Tape Capital of the World?The hosts discuss NetWealth’s wealth platform (including SMSF access), travel mishaps and entertainment recommendations, Australia’s “red tape” paper immigration cards, a KO/AFL digital subscription…29 Sep 2025 · 1 h 36 min · 33 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Did Disney Get Jimmy Kimmel Right? + Optus' Outage Issues + Executive DisfunctionAsk Us Anything episode covering (1) whether Disney handled the Jimmy Kimmel controversy correctly, (2) executive/board dysfunction in a medical/industry organization context, and (3) crisis…26 Sep 2025 · 28 min · 9 chapters
ROKT Soars, Healthengine, Reebok, Vending Machines go Hi Tech, Haigh’s Branding Genius and Mike’s Travel ReportThe episode covers (1) NetWealth’s wealth-management platform for self-managed super funds and alternative investments, (2) Australia’s telehealth/prescription booking platforms (Healthengine,…22 Sep 2025 · 1 h 32 min · 28 chapters
Ask Us Anything: Should people go to uni? + Adir's FAVOURITE PC Games Ever“Ask Us Anything” episode debating whether young people should go to university, plus a segment on Adir’s favorite PC games.19 Sep 2025 · 32 min · 13 chapters
Oracle Flies and Ellison the World’s Richest Person (Briefly), Amex Devalues, Adir’s BOOKING.fail, ANZ’s Cashback Retreat and Adam’s Bike StolenEpisode 132 of The Contrarians with Adam and Adir covers: (1) NetWealth wealth-management platform promotion; (2) two personal stories (Woolworths online refund; Adam’s bike stolen in South…15 Sep 2025 · 1 h 29 min · 30 chapters
Ask Us Anything: The Next Aussie Unicorn, Mac vs. PC + The GREATEST Movie Soundtracks EVER“Ask Us Anything” episode covering (1) which Australian startups could become “unicorns” via secondary sales, (2) Mac vs PC preferences, and (3) greatest movie soundtracks (plus a detour into EGOTs).12 Sep 2025 · 27 min · 16 chapters
Woolworths v Coles, Cettire Nears the Precipice, Australia’s Secret Unicorn Founder, Neurodivergent Founders and Dan’s Brush with DictatorsThe episode mixes business, politics, and social issues. It covers NetWealth’s investing platform; a debate about Victoria’s car theft and tipping rates; outrage over a Victorian case where an…8 Sep 2025 · 1 h 48 min · 46 chapters
Ask Us Anything: ACCC's New Merger Mandatory Notification Thresholds, The Most Insightful Things We've Read + Our Social Media ThoughtsThe hosts answer listener questions on (1) whether social media echo chambers harm society and what government should do, (2) what they’ve read that was insightful (including Nassim Taleb), and (3)…5 Sep 2025 · 30 min · 12 chapters
CSL and Reece Blame WFH for Woes, Site Minder Deep Dive, Qantas Roars, Nvidia Delivers (for now), Blackbird, Sydney v Melbourne and KPop Demon HuntersThe Contrarians (episode 128) is a wide-ranging discussion mixing tech/media chatter, a board-game and e-commerce quiz, and a deep dive into Australian business performance and VC returns.1 Sep 2025 · 1 h 46 min · 43 chapters
Ask Us Anything: When did the guys take a risk that DIDN'T pay off? + A 20th Team for the AFL!?The Contrarians’ “Ask Us Anything” episode covers (1) how to respond to major professional risks that fail, (2) how public companies prevent insider-information leaks and what information is hardest…29 Aug 2025 · 33 min · 9 chapters
CSL Breaks Up, Canva Deep Dive, Xero Gets Whacked, Step One’s Struggles, RBA Fails Again and the World’s Largest CompaniesThe hosts discuss multiple business and market stories, then deep-dive into Canva’s valuation versus Figma, plus commentary on Australian companies and regulation.25 Aug 2025 · 1 h 31 min · 31 chapters