The Contrarians with Adam and Adir

Myer is bringing its corporate staff back to the office five days a week, and Adam and Adir think it says something bigger about where the power now sits between employers and employees. They also ask what Netflix actually is now that its explosive growth years appear to be slowing, whether its competitive advantage can survive YouTube and an increasingly crowded streaming market, and why the former FANG stock may ultimately become a very different kind of business. Then billionaire matchmaker Lauren Hunter joins the pod to explain how she finds partners for celebrities, politicians and ultra-wealthy clients. She talks about clients with 150 non-negotiables, parents secretly hiring her for their children, screening out gold diggers, post-date feedback, $25,000 searches and the $350,000 package for billionaires. CHAPTERS 02:21 - Myer Ends WFH and the Employer Power Shift11:30 - Netflix's Growth Problem and the Streaming Wars28:36 - Lauren Hunter: Billionaire Matchmaking LINKS Mastercard:https://www.mastercard.com/smallbusinessau Acquire Intelligence:https://acquire.ai/contrarians BlueRock:https://www.bluerock.com.au/thecontrarians Join us on Substack for articles, news and more:https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/

Adam and Adir sit down with Brett Craig from Aura Group to unpack what private credit actually is, why the industry exploded after the GFC and how non-bank lenders are filling a funding gap left by Australia’s major banks. Brett explains Aura’s “lending to lenders” model, why liquidity mismatches can force private credit funds to gate withdrawals, how invoice financing works, and why Aura even lends against sheep and cattle. They also discuss Australia’s estimated $250 billion business funding gap, the recent backlash against private credit, risk, diversification and what investors should actually look for inside these funds. All information provided for use by Wholesale Clients and is for educational purposes only.  It does not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation or needs of any individual investor.  Information is provided by Aura Capital Pty Ltd ABN 48 143 700 887 | AFS Licence 366230. Wholesale strategy performance since inception is 9.42% pa as at 30 September 2026 net of fees and expenses since inception date 1 August 2017. Returns assume reinvestment of all distributions. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance and capital and income is not guaranteed. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Why Private Credit Funds Get Gated 10:55 - Why Private Credit Funds Get Into Trouble 21:39 - Choosing Lenders, Tough Markets and Investor Access Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/

Emergency pod! Anthropic has finally opened its books, giving Adam and Adir their clearest look yet at the economics behind Claude and one of the fastest-growing businesses in history. Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/

Adam and Adir unpack the tax shock hitting Australian venture capital and private equity, including why carried interest has historically received favourable treatment and what the government's new capital gains rules could mean for fund managers. They also look at France's extraordinary levels of government spending and the growing tension between generations over wealth, housing and welfare. Then it's back to tech and business. Canva launches its own image generation model as it fights to stay relevant in the AI era, Airbnb finally cracks down on excessive checkout chores, NextDC loses more than 40% in a single day after delays to its Melbourne data centre, and Temple & Webster rallies after an update that leaves Adir even more convinced of his short thesis. CHAPTERS00:00 - Inside The Pod, Media and The Contrarians Live 23:33 - Myeloma Australia and Adam's Family Story 27:12 - The 47% Carried Interest Tax Shock 43:48 - France, Government Spending and Generational Wealth 01:00:12 - Canva Fights Back With AI 01:09:07 - Airbnb Ends Excessive Checkout Chores 01:17:09 - NextDC Crashes 42% 01:32:46 - Temple & Webster's 31% Rally LINKS Myeloma Australia: https://myeloma.org.au/ Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/

Adam and Will go inside the way Luxury Escapes is actually run, from the decisions Adam still personally signs off on to the systems, people and mental models behind one of Australia's biggest travel businesses. Adam explains why CEOs should never become blockers, why he dislikes traditional strategy days, how Luxury Escapes stays entrepreneurial with hundreds of employees, what makes a great salesperson, how he thinks about culture and when it's time to move someone on. They also unpack Luxury Escapes' competitive advantages, its approach to brand and marketing, sustainable growth over inflated valuations, and why Adam treats mistakes very differently depending on whether someone was taking initiative or simply failed to act. CHAPTERS 01:33 - The Schwab Method: How Adam Runs Luxury Escapes08:32 - Why Adam Still Signs Off Every Deal15:42 - Speed, Decisions and Never Being The Blocker28:04 - Sales, Culture and Building High-Performance Teams39:49 - Competitive Advantage, Growth and How Adam Thinks About Mistakes LINKS Adam recently joined Sarah Grynberg on A Life of Greatness to discuss building Luxury Escapes, taking risks and why success is about more than money:Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Luxury Escapes:https://luxuryescapes.com BlueRock:https://www.bluerock.com.au/thecontrarians Acquire Intelligence:https://acquire.ai/contrarians Braze:https://www.braze.com/ Join us on Substack for articles, news and more:https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/