Anthropic’s $2tn Fever Dream, Firmus Tanks AI Globally, Maas' Week from Hell and is Software Dead?
The Contrarians with Adam and AdirShow Notes
Adam and Adir unpack the latest fallout from Australia’s surcharge ban, the rise of PayID and PayTo, Victoria’s new auction rules and a software developer recreating products like Photoshop with AI.
Then they turn to the growing cracks in the AI boom: the Firmus fallout spreading through CoreWeave and other data-centre names, MAAS Group’s brutal sell-off and aggressive buybacks, and Anthropic’s extraordinary growth, and whether a potential $2 trillion valuation can possibly be justified.
01:58 - Ticket Bots and Radiohead
07:15 - Springvale, Retail and PayID
14:12 - The Surcharge Ban
29:17 - Europe’s Biggest Companies Quiz
38:09 - AI Clones Software
44:31 - Property Density and Victoria’s New Auction Rules
53:25 - Firmus, MAAS, Anthropic and The AI Bubble
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More from The Contrarians with Adam and Adir
Adam, Adir and Scott Middleton from Terem Capital take a deep dive into Washington H. Soul Pattinson, the $18bn ASX giant hiding in plain sight.
Adam and Adir unpack the fallout from Melbourne Marathon weekend, the surprising decline in alcohol consumption and the latest consequences of Australia’s surcharge changes, before John Stensholt joins the show to break down the spectacular collapse of Firmus’ planned ASX float.
Adam and Adir unpack the ugly founder and shareholder battle at Blackmagic Design, what it says about minority ownership and why a strong shareholders agreement matters.
Join us on Substack for articles, news and more: https://www.thecontrarianspod.com/
Adam and Adir unpack the fallout from Australia’s credit-card surcharge changes, why retailers and consumers may both end up worse off, and whether the policy risks adding more inflationary pressure. Mike apologises for GTAVI misinformation, discussing Codan’s extraordinary growth and valuation, and dig into Joby Aviation, autonomous aircraft and the future of flying taxis.