The Contrarians with Adam and Adir

By Adam Schwab and Adir Shiffman

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 Chairma... more

· Business

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How many episodes does The Contrarians with Adam and Adir have?

The podcast currently has 244 episodes available.

Best of The Contrarians with Adam and Adir

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: OpenAI Burns Billions, Temple & Webster Gets Crushed
Adam and Adir unpack the strange economics of AI, with OpenAI burning billions, Anthropic claiming explosive growth, and investors still trying to work out where the real profits will come from. They also dig into Temple & Webster’s brutal share price collapse, the limits of its retail model, and why even strong operators can struggle inside a brutally hard business. 00:00 - OpenAI, Anthropic and The AI Money Problem 14:39 - Temple & Webster Gets Whacked Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/
August 28, 202640min
Number 2: Firmus Goes to the Moon, Anthropic’s Profit Problem, Founder Tax Chaos, Breakthrough Victoria Death March and Xero's Year from Hell
Adam and Adir unpack Anthropic’s unusual approach to profitability, the extraordinary valuation being floated for Firmus and what could eventually unwind the economics of the AI boom. They also dig into Australia’s founder tax changes, Breakthrough Victoria and the National Reconstruction Fund, before turning to Xero’s executive pay fight, US strategy and brutal share-price decline. 00:00 - Adir's Gaming Sesh 12:31 - The US Open and The Focus of Winners 16:09 - Victoria’s Pothole Crisis 22:46 - Anthropic’s Economics and The AI Bubble 38:03 - Firmus and The $50bn Valuation 44:36 - Australia’s Founder Tax Changes 1:02:29 - Breakthrough Victoria and The National Reconstruction Fund 1:14:11 - Xero’s Pay Revolt and Strategy Problem Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/
September 21, 20261h 28min
Number 3: Live Show, Macro Investing King Chris Judd joins, Apple’s $3,500 Foldable Bet, Australia’s Housing Mess, Cogstate and the Firmus Moneyshot
Adam and Adir record live from The Commons in Cremorne, covering Australia’s worsening housing and rent crisis, Apple’s rumoured folding iPhone, the company’s pricing power, and whether AI’s frontier model economics can survive customers moving to cheaper alternatives. Chris Judd then joins to talk markets, uncertainty, inflation, US debt, Cogstate, MAAS Group, Firmus, data centres, founder-led investing and why the best returns often come from backing people prepared to think differently. 00:00 - Live From The Commons 03:07 - Australia’s Housing and Rent Crisis 19:02 - Apple’s Folding iPhone 30:30 - AI Models and Data Centres 35:10 - Chris Judd Joins Pod 46:31 - Chris Judd’s Macro View5 8:18 - Cogstate 1:03:37 - MAAS Group and Firmus 1:16:02 - Founder-Led Investing A big thank you to the team at The Commons for hosting our first live episode of the pod (or something like that). You can link to their website here: https://www.thecommons.com.au/ Link to Cerutty Macro Fund: https://ceruttymacrofund.com.au/ Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/
September 14, 20261h 19min
Number 4: Is Yo-Chi our next Decacorn, AI Comes for the Lawyers and should CEOs also take Board Seats
Adam and Adir debate whether founders and senior executives should be allowed to sit on external boards while running a business, before turning to the coming pressure on big law fees as AI starts breaking the traditional leverage model. They also unpack Yo-Chi’s extraordinary rise, its reported billion-dollar-plus valuation, global expansion plans, store economics, and why timing, product and execution can turn a good retail concept into a monster business. 01:05 - The CEO Board Seat Debate 09:26 - AI Comes For Big Law 24:29 - Yo-Chi’s $2bn Valuation 29:54 - Why Yo-Chi Worked 38:55 - Yo-Chi’s Global Upside Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/
September 11, 202645min
Number 5: Retail Deep Dive: Kogan shows the money and Cettire close to the edge
Australia’s retail stocks are getting smashed, but Adam and Adir think the sell-off could finally be creating opportunities in businesses like JB Hi-Fi, Kogan and Koala. Meanwhile, Cettire has lost 95% of its value in two years and its latest results raise even more questions about how long the luxury retailer can keep going. 00:00 Australian Retail Stocks Are Getting Smashed12:41 Kogan, Temple & Webster and Koala16:40 Cettire’s Collapse & The Art of Contrarian Investing Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/ Try Braze
September 04, 202636min