The Contrarian Digest [Week 13]
The Contrarian Digest is my weekly pick of LinkedIn posts I couldn’t ignore. Smart ideas, bold perspectives, or conversations worth having.
No algorithms, no hype… Just real ideas worth your time.
Let’s dive in [13th Edition] 👇
1️⃣ George Soros: How a 13-Year-Old’s Survival Code Rewired Global Power – Oriane Cohen
⚡𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟: What if one of the world’s most controversial figures wasn’t a villain or savior – but a strategist shaped by survival itself?
🗞️𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭: https://lnkd.in/eheDun-y
2️⃣ From Ripoff to Revenue – James Watt
⚡𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟: When ALDI copied their beer, they didn’t call lawyers. They copied theirs back – then made them sell it! The genius pivot that turned a copycat into a collab.
🗞️𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭: https://lnkd.in/eMJCwxbj
3️⃣ Your Heart is a High-Value Target. Secure It – Shawnee Delaney
For the 2nd week in a row.
⚡𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟: If dating feels like a minefield, maybe it’s time to start thinking like a spy – not a soulmate-seeker. A spy’s playbook for love.
🗞️𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭: https://lnkd.in/ewBnyxpH
4️⃣ Layoffs Are Coming. Everyone Knows. No One Moves – Usman Sheikh
⚡𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟: Big consulting’s formula is breaking. AI matches junior output at a fraction of cost. Leaders know what’s coming. But what’s the price of silence and inaction?
🗞️𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭: https://lnkd.in/eY3HCfRW
💭𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞: I’d do the OPPOSITE of what everyone expects – https://lnkd.in/e8xaQpEM
5️⃣ What Happens to the Words You Never Say? – Shashank Sharma
Yes, for the 6th week in a row.
⚡𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟: The messages we never send don’t vanish, they CALCIFY. This will make you rethink silence, self-censorship, and what healing really takes.
🗞️𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭: https://lnkd.in/e47_iAj8
6️⃣ The Story of How AI Takes Your Job – Nick Shackleton-Jones
⚡𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟: It starts with AI answering a few emails while you’re on vacation. It ends with you being “restructured” out of your own job.
🗞️𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭: https://lnkd.in/ectPjwjr
7️⃣ 7 Founders, 7 Masterclasses, $0 Tuition – Guillermo Flor
⚡𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟: The best startup advice isn’t “hidden.” It’s just ignored. Guillermo interviewed and I’ve distilled interviews with Marc Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, and 5 other top founders into a free MBA.
🗞️𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭: https://lnkd.in/exwnZsQT
8️⃣ The LinkedIn Sales Hack You’re Not Using (But Should Be) – Oleg Sobolev
⚡𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟: Most reps waste time cold emailing. Others “hack” themselves into their feed and their company’s feed. This sales move is stupid smart.
🗞️𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭: https://lnkd.in/eCbFu5e6
——-
Which of these topics resonates with you the most?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
To your success,
Gaetan Portaels
Original publication date — May 12, 2025 (HERE)
READ THE FULL POSTS BELOW (and please, don’t forget to follow the authors)
George Soros: How a 13-Year-Old’s Survival Code Rewired Global Power – Oriane Cohen
DON’T read this post if conspiracy theories are your default settings. Really.
As you already know, I explore dynamics of power, influence, and how individuals shape the world around them.
This curiosity led me to examine one of the most polarizing figures of our time: George Soros.
His name alone sparks controversy, speculation.
He’s either demonized or deified, rarely STUDIED.
This intellectual “omerta” creates WEAK spots in our understanding of power.
I despise that.
When we refuse to think critically about power,
we don’t become neutral
we become BLIND.
Determined to approach this individual analytically, I dove into his personal history, philosophical writings, and psychological profile to better understand how and why he exerts such considerable influence.
What I discovered after weeks of OBSESSIVE research:
At 13, forced to conceal his Jewish identity to survive under Nazi rule, he developed an acute ability for identity shifting and operating fluidly within ambiguous environments – the “grey zone”.
His teenage brain, during critical neural development, locked in a singular truth:
➡️ “If you want to survive and shape the world, you must understand how systems work, and how fragile they are.”
He learned:
– That APPEARANCES can be manipulated
– That SYSTEMS can be gamed
– That CHAOS creates opportunity
At 13, the young boy was witnessing systemic brutality, navigating deception, and realizing that survival depends not on strength, but on:
PERCEPTION,
TIMING,
INFORMATION.
This trauma is foundational and ARCHITECTURAL to his entire worldview.
He developed a sense of existential precarity, and a belief that open societies and pluralism are the only antidotes to systemic collapse.
In a very radical way.
The paradox:
👉 His answer to tyranny is strategic CONTROL.
👉 Not transparency, but managing who controls the NARRATIVE.
👉 Not just “freedom,” but freedom CURATED by the enlightened few.
After all, he did not survive the Shoah by being transparent and humble.
No – his freedom required sacrifice.
Later, Soros discovered Karl Popper at university, giving intellectual form to what he’d already encoded emotionally at 13: that closed systems are dangerous.
Popper was the intellect.
Soros was the wound.
The Open Society Foundation beecame a weaponized wound.
This is neither condemnation nor praise – just strategic analysis of how trauma shapes global power.
From Ripoff to Revenue – James Watt
You’ve got to love ALDI’s f*ck you product development department 😂.
A few years ago, ALDI released a beer range called Anti-Establishment.
– They took our Lost Lager and created Found
– Our Punk IPA became Anti-Establishment IPA
– Elvis Juice was Memphis Blvd
It was a total knock-off of all our beers 😂.
Now, most businesses would start fuming.
Lawyers.
Letters.
Litigation.
…But where’s the fun in that?
Instead, we created our very own ALDI rip-off beer called ALDI IPA.
It blew up.
People loved it… ALDI loved it.
And next thing we know, we’re working together to put our fake ALDI beer on their shelves across the UK.
We even agreed that for every case sold, we’d plant a tree in the BrewDog Lost Forest. 🌳
What started as a copycat moment became one of our most unexpected partnerships.
Here’s the point:
Being copied isn’t a problem.
It’s a compliment.
It means you’ve built something worth stealing.
So don’t panic when someone copies your idea.
Don’t whinge about it.
And definitely don’t retreat.
Because the only thing worse than being copied is being completely ignored.
Your Heart is a High-Value Target. Secure It – Shawnee Delaney
Date Like a Spy, Not a Rookie.
Most people swipe right with their hearts.
I swipe with a threat matrix.
Because in espionage, we’re trained to assess people fast—read micro-expressions, ask the right questions, and spot deception before it costs lives.
Emotional discipline isn’t optional. It’s survival.
But you know what I didn’t do when it came to my own love life?
Any of that.
In one example (at the tender age of 21), he mirrored my values like a pro.
Same goals. Same passion for travel. Same very specific trauma history.
It felt like a soulmate. Effortless. Eerie, even.
Until one day, mid-conversation, he casually said:
“I actually hate traveling. I just said that because I knew it would make you like me.”
Just like that, the illusion cracked. And I realized—he wasn’t being authentic.
He was being strategic.
The lesson?
If someone feels like a perfect mirror, look closer.
They might not be your reflection—they might just be showing you what they think you want to see.
The same techniques used to recruit assets—mirroring, flattery, accelerated trust-building—are now being used every day in dating apps, romance scams, and emotionally manipulative relationships.
If you don’t learn to spot deception early, you’ll waste months (or years) recovering from what you could’ve walked away from in week one.
The Lessons (aka, my post-mortem):
✔️ Trust is earned over time, not granted up front.
In ops, no one gets full access on day one. Why do we do that with our hearts?
✔️ Speed is a tactic.
When someone pushes for intimacy before trust is built, that’s not connection—it’s control. Threat actors and love-bombers use the same playbook.
✔️ Charm is a tool. Consistency is the truth.
Anyone can show up for three dates. Can they show up when it’s inconvenient? When it’s uncomfortable? That’s your answer.
✔️ Gut-check everything.
If you feel off, you’re not overreacting. You’re underestimating.
Want to decode dating like an intelligence op?
Follow along with hashtag#SpycraftForTheHeart, where I break down real-world emotional tradecraft—how to spot red flags, protect your energy, and stop falling for people who read like phishing emails.
Because love is beautiful.
But losing yourself in the name of loyalty?
That’s a security breach.
What red flag did you ignore that you wish you hadn’t?
Layoffs Are Coming. Everyone Knows. No One Moves – Usman Sheikh
Everyone in big consulting knows what’s coming.
No one wants to move first.
The consulting business thrived on a simple formula:
→ Hire junior analysts cheaply
→ Bill clients at premium rates
→ Target 75%+ utilization
→ Expand headcount to fuel growth
→ Leverage brand prestige for margins
→ Justify fees through complexity
Today, that formula is breaking down:
→ AI matches junior output at a fraction of the cost
→ Top talent achieves more with smaller teams
→ Utilization targets lose relevance
→ Clients challenge the premium on human leverage
→ Margins driven by headcount expansion quickly erode
Privately, leaders across the Big 4 and global SIs admit:
Significant layoffs and deep restructuring are inevitable.
Yet, they pause, trapped by uncertainty:
→ Deep cuts risk immediate reputational harm
→ Governance structures prevent decisive action
→ Thousands of careers and families hang in the balance
This hesitation feels safe but quietly builds strategic debt.
Salary freezes, stealth layoffs, and hiring slowdowns treat symptoms, not causes.
Each day without decisive action:
→ Competitors steadily capture market share
→ Restructuring becomes more costly and complex
→ Clients quietly shift to innovative challengers
This isn’t about timing. It’s about courage.
Weak leaders wait for clarity.
Strong leaders act through uncertainty.
Great leaders disrupt themselves while winning.
Question for the audience, if you were in charge of one of the Big 4 or global SIs today, what would your plan be to navigate this inflection point?
—GAETAN PORTAEL’s TAKE—
PART 1:
Usman, in a past comment, I argued that the REAL issue with these firms isn’t “governance,” but evolutionary biology. That they’re APEX predators who’ve optimized for a world that no longer exists. That their very DNA prevents adaptation.
Now, let’s take that further:
Evolution doesn’t wait for outdated DNA to catch up. It selects AGAINST it.
And although I wouldn’t bet on Big Consulting’s “extinction” anytime soon, I think long-term survival will require something close to “genetic disruption”
→ Think MUTATION, recombination, maybe even “speciation” to stick with the metaphor.
If we can suspend reality and politics for a minute:
To spark that, I’d do the OPPOSITE of what everyone expects: Don’t cut junior staff. Cut 80% of LEGACY LEADERSHIP.
From there, I’d inject entirely NEW DNA and thinking models backed by real-world results: Bring in “polymaths,” hackers, anthropologists, founders – anyone but the usual MBA suspects.
→ In a world changing this fast, culture FIT is your enemy. You need culture SHOCK.
Now, pragmatically, SPLIT the firm in two:
1) Legacy Co: Squeeze traditional model while shrinking it by X% a year.
2) Future Co: Build a new OS. Sell “decision insurance:” paid on outcomes, not hours or headcount.
PART 2:
This exercice was meant to “push” a little bit. To think in radical terms. Reality always scales things back anyway 😄.
So, a few down-to-earth scale backs might be:
1) Hybrid model: Base retainer (30-40%) + outcomes bonus (60-70%).
2) Milestone-Based: Measurable interim results trigger payments.
Rethink the model goes further than just a change in WHAT we bill for. It’s also HOW you structure the entire financial deal.
But at it’s core, isn’t this “tension point” symptomatic of the deeper issue?
I think it’s precisely because of their capital structure, comp models, and partner economics that legacy firms can’t absorb the “uncertainty gap” between value CREATION and value CAPTURE.
Now, because I tend to lean toward radical approaches…
What about something like “Outcome Securitization”?
→ Take projected returns from multiple engagements.
→ Package them into financial instruments.
→ Monetize them upfront.
And open them to institutional & private capital markets.
Sure, this is financial engineering. But in theory, firms could build some kind of “Outcome-Based Investment Market.”
Radical? Sure.
Reaslistic? Probably not. Too much of a leap.
Now, this is typically one of those cases where I end up arguing with myself.
I like the “concept,” but I’m clearly not a fan of what it actually means in the real world.
What Happens to the Words You Never Say? – Shashank Sharma
Everyone has a message they never sent.
A text you typed out and stared at for too long.
A call you hovered over and then locked your phone.
An apology that felt too late.
A confession that felt too much.
You tell yourself –
“Tomorrow. I’ll say it tomorrow.”
When you’re calmer. When they’re freer. When it won’t sound so raw.
But tomorrow has a way of turning into never.
That’s the Unsent Message Syndrome.
It’s the quiet ache you carry.
The sentence you whisper to yourself at 1am.
The conversation you keep having in your head,
rehearsing lines no one will ever hear.
We think silence will save us.
We think holding back is safer.
We think swallowing the words is strength.
But silence isn’t protection.
Sometimes, silence is a prison.
I have drafts in my phone that never left the screen.
Messages to friends I grew apart from.
Messages to people I loved but didn’t know how to love back then.
Messages to ghosts of versions of myself I had to outgrow.
Not sending them felt easier.
Less messy. Less exposing. Less risk.
But here’s the secret no one tells you –
Unsent messages don’t disappear.
They settle. Deep.
They live in your pauses.
They echo in your hesitation.
They turn into invisible weight.
You start seeing yourself as the person who didn’t say it.
The person who holds back.
The person who half-shows up.
The person who almost said what mattered.
And sometimes it’s not even about the other person anymore.
It’s about proving to yourself that your voice matters.
That your truth deserves air.
That fear doesn’t get the final edit on your story.
Not every message will be welcomed.
Not every apology will be accepted.
Not every confession will land softly.
But you don’t send it for them.
You send it for you.
To clear your side of the bridge.
To unclench the fist inside your chest.
To remind yourself that even if no one answers,
you were brave enough to speak.
Closure isn’t something people give you.
It’s something you earn by saying the words
even if the other side stays silent.
So if you’re holding onto something –
a thank you
a sorry
an I miss you
an I love you
an I’m leaving
maybe today is the day to let it out.
Because the longer you wait,
the heavier it gets.
And life is already heavy enough
without the weight of words unsaid.
The Story of How AI Takes Your Job – Nick Shackleton-Jones
This is the story of how AI takes your job:
It’s June 2026, & you’re tying up loose ends so that you can shut the laptop, forget about work, & spend the next couple of weeks soaking up sun & sangria.
You’re about to compose a witty ‘Out of Office’ message when CoPilot pops up a New Feature: “would you like me to answer some of your emails in your absence?” CoPilot explains it will base responses on your email history, & only respond to those emails within parameters that you set – reserving the tricky ones for your return.
You hate coming back to a mountain of emails; you check the boxes and hope for the best.
2 weeks later you are delighted: CoPilot provides a neat summary of the meetings it has scheduled & decisions it has made. You alter only a couple.
Now another option: “I am glad you’re happy with the results. If you like, I can answer these kinds of emails regularly, freeing up your time to be more productive.”
“Yes” you click. It’s a no-brainer.
The effect is transformational. You take to LinkedIn (now you have the time) to extol the virtues of AI & pile in on the doomsters.
It gets better: CoPilot offers to attend some of your meetings for you. Weird as this sounds, most of your meetings are Teams, and CoPilot can now deploy your faithful avatar to the ones where there’s a clash, where you are just there to listen – or ones featuring Steve from accounts. It summarises any outcomes in a document you can review in 5 minutes.
For the first time in your working life you can literally be in two places at once – heck, you could be in 100 places at once!
You didn’t see the announcement coming: “we are proud to be an AI-first company, utilizing technology to remain competitive and ensure our future profitability in a competitive marketplace” the CEO explains in the pre-recorded video.
You are being ‘restructured’ – you always considered your role to be essential.
You contact the HR representative. She offers a meeting. She’s an AI avatar: she explains that your role is one in scope for ‘AI uplift’. In essence, AI will be doing your job 24×7 – answering emails, preparing documents & designs, joining meetings.
You ask if you are entitled to any compensation – after all, it is your knowledge & experience that is being “uplifted”.
The HRAI politely directs you to the portion of your contract which states that all information shared on company systems remains property of the company.
Co-Pilot has analyzed your skills profile and helpfully offered a range of career paths that may be a good fit for the future.
This is not science fiction. All of the things I have described above are in development or deployed today. We are just waiting for things to ‘come together’. I know what you are thinking: ‘AI can’t do what I do’.
So why the post? In those zombie movies where people rush to leave the city, only the first out find the roads empty. Today is a good time to think about where you want to head -you have a couple of years.
The LinkedIn Sales Hack You’re Not Using (But Should Be) – Oleg Sobolev
Our customer just ran the sneakiest social selling play I’ve seen all year.
And it worked! (might steal it myself ha ha)
Not my idea, but I wish it was.
A customer of ours who is targeting Fortune 1000 execs showed me this yesterday.
They built a target list of execs and used Extrovert to track what they were posting on LinkedIn.
They set up topic monitoring so AI would flag posts in their niche. So if an exec talked about a problem their product solves, they’d know right away.
Whenever that happened, they used AI copilot to draft a thoughtful, actually good comment.
So far, this is standard “show up and be helpful” stuff. Nothing crazy yet.
But this team took it a step further – they turned those moments into their own posts.
They’d add their own take, tag the exec, and riff on the idea (not a repost).
That post would land in the exec’s notifications, obviously.
That exec commented back. Which meant the post now got shown to their audience, a bunch of people at the target company. Now our user is multi-threading, just by riffing on a post.
And because the LinkedIn algorithm sees the mutual engagement, it’s going to show more of that user’s posts to the exec (and their coworkers) from now on.
All from one comment.
TAKEAWAY
If you’re in sales and you’re not posting much, try this:
Next time your prospect posts about your industry, don’t just comment: write your own post, tag them, and add your take.
Don’t force it. But if you’ve got something to say, it’s a cheat code for visibility.
P.S. Happy Friday everyone 🙂