Let's Get Rich: Profiting from What Others Avoid

💡 The Pariah Profit Principle: Why the Most Hated Investments Outperform

In 2008, self-proclaimed "contrarian" investors were busy buying beaten-down bank stocks, congratulating themselves on their courage. Meanwhile, John Paulson was being called clinically insane. His bet against the entire U.S. housing market wasn't just unpopular—it was considered proof that he'd lost his mind. One year later, he'd made $20 billion.

Here's what everyone misses about contrarian investing: If your ideas make people think you're merely wrong, you're not being contrarian enough. True contrarian investments make people question your sanity. They make even the "contrarians" uncomfortable. And that's exactly where the biggest opportunities hide.

The Anti-Contrarian Framework: Why Most "Contrarian" Investors Fail

Think about the last time you heard a truly contrarian investment thesis. Not just an unpopular stock pick—but an idea so disturbing it made people squirm. Companies that profit from climate change adaptation instead of prevention. Businesses that help governments expand surveillance. Firms that benefit from the breakdown of social trust.

Did you feel that instinctive revulsion? That's what real contrarian investing feels like. While amateur contrarians dig through 52-week low lists looking for "value," true contrarians seek investments that make people physically uncomfortable. Here's how they think:

1. Embrace Total Isolation When Michael Burry announced his massive stake in GameStop in 2019, he was mocked relentlessly. Other value investors—his usual allies—called him delusional. That total isolation was the signal: his 1,500% return proved he'd spotted something others couldn't see.

2. Seek Active Hostility In late 2022, buying Chinese tech stocks didn't just face skepticism—it sparked outrage. "China is uninvestable," declared major funds. "It's a trap," warned analysts. Companies like Alibaba have since doubled, with PDD Holdings up over 180%.

3. Question the Questions While investors debated Microsoft's AI pricing models in 2023, Sam Altman asked a different question entirely: "What if AI is so transformative that current business models are irrelevant?" This reframing led to his $51 billion Anthropic bet.

4. Find Hidden Consensus By 2023, every "contrarian" investor was betting on a recession and market crash. This widespread contrarian consensus was precisely why markets rallied 24% instead. True contrarians were buying growth stocks while others hoarded cash.

Uncomfortable Opportunities: Where to Look Right Now

The examples above aren't just history lessons—they're blueprints. Right now, several markets are experiencing the same kind of visceral rejection that made GameStop and Chinese tech such powerful opportunities. Here are areas where even mentioning investment interest might get you uninvited from dinner parties:

1. Defense Contractors in the ESG Era

• Why It's Truly Contrarian: ESG funds are divesting, pension funds are facing protests

• Uncomfortable Truth: Rising global tensions mean defense spending will soar regardless of moral objections

• Example: Companies developing autonomous warfare systems that most investors won't touch

2. Surveillance Technology Providers

• Why It's Truly Contrarian: Privacy advocates are waging war against these companies

• Uncomfortable Truth: As social trust declines, demand for monitoring technology is exploding

• Example: Firms developing facial recognition for authoritarian governments

3. Carbon Credit Shorts

• Why It's Truly Contrarian: The entire ESG industry depends on carbon credits working

• Uncomfortable Truth: The carbon credit market is built on unverifiable claims and dubious accounting

• Example: Companies betting against the validity of voluntary carbon markets

4. Mental Health Data Aggregators

• Why It's Truly Contrarian: Feels predatory and ethically questionable

• Uncomfortable Truth: The monetization of mental health data is becoming a massive business

• Example: Companies building databases of therapy transcripts for AI training

Case Study: The AI Ethics Arbitrage of 2023

In early 2023, while the tech world debated AI ethics and thousands signed petitions warning about AI's existential risks, a small group of investors asked a darker question: "What if corporate profits matter more than AI safety?"

Their thesis was uncomfortable: Despite widespread concerns about AI's dangers, despite scientists begging for a pause in development, despite genuine fears about job displacement—companies would race to deploy AI as fast as possible, cutting corners on safety and ethics to gain market share.

This bet against technological ethics paid off enormously. While "responsible" investors avoided companies rushing to market with untested AI, stocks like Super Micro Computer (SMCI) rose over 700% in 2023. Nvidia, despite concerns about AI chip exports to potentially dangerous actors, jumped 240%. The market revealed a brutal truth: the fastest way to profit from transformative technology is to ignore its ethical implications.

This pattern continues now in 2024. While society debates the ethics of AI surveillance, autonomous weapons, and privacy invasion, the biggest returns are flowing to companies that move fast and break things. The gap between ethical concerns and market behavior has never been wider—or more profitable.

How to Build True Contrarian Conviction in 2024

Most investors start with financials. True contrarians start with human hypocrisy. Here's how to find opportunities that others can't stomach:

1. Study Social Backlash, Not Balance Sheets

• Look for companies facing congressional hearings

• Track which CEOs are being called "dangerous" by academics

• Monitor which technologies are triggering protest movements

2. Measure Ethical Discomfort

• The more open letters warning against a technology, the better

• Count how many ethics boards have resigned

• Watch for prominent scientists publicly distancing themselves

3. Find "Unthinkable" Scenarios

• What if AI deployment can't actually be regulated?

• What if privacy becomes completely obsolete?

• What if ethical concerns always lose to profit motives?

4. Embrace Your Discomfort

• If an investment opportunity makes you feel morally queasy, you're on the right track

• The stronger your ethical objection, the bigger the potential return

• When you feel shame describing an investment to friends, you've found a winner

The True Contrarian's Guide to Crypto in 2024

While crypto believers celebrate spot ETF approval and "institutional adoption," true contrarians are asking darker questions. Here are theses so controversial they'd get you death threats on Crypto Twitter:

1. The Surveillance Opportunity

• Contrarian Angle: The more crypto grows, the more valuable surveillance and control becomes

• Example: Companies building tools for governments to track and freeze crypto assets

• Why It's Uncomfortable: Betrays crypto's founding promise of financial privacy

2. The Centralization Profit Engine

• Contrarian Angle: Decentralization was a marketing gimmick; centralized control is inevitable

• Example: Companies helping governments implement CBDCs to kill private cryptocurrencies

• Why It's Uncomfortable: Suggests helping governments destroy crypto freedom

3. The Anti-DeFi Infrastructure Play

• Contrarian Angle: Traditional banks will co-opt and strangle DeFi, not compete with it

• Example: Companies building "compliance layers" that make DeFi controllable by authorities

• Why It's Uncomfortable: Implies profiting from destroying crypto's revolutionary potential

4. The ETF Manipulation Opportunity

• Contrarian Angle: Spot ETFs will enable unprecedented price manipulation

• Example: Market makers positioning to profit from retail investor liquidations

• Why It's Uncomfortable: Suggests profiting from retail investor losses

The Darkest Business Opportunities of 2024

While entrepreneurs chase AI and clean tech dreams, true contrarians are building businesses that most people consider morally reprehensible. Here's where the ethical void creates profit:

1. AI Bias Amplification

• Thesis: Companies will secretly pay premium prices for AI models that maintain profitable discriminatory practices

• Example: "Enhanced" lending algorithms that preserve historical advantages while appearing neutral

• Why It's Uncomfortable: Deliberately perpetuates systemic inequalities for profit

2. Climate Disaster Profiteering

• Thesis: Instead of fighting climate change, profit from its acceleration

• Example: Buying future beachfront property in currently landlocked areas

• Why It's Uncomfortable: Requires actively hoping for environmental catastrophe

3. Social Division Monetization

• Thesis: Political and social polarization is highly profitable if you can systematize it

• Example: AI-driven content farms that identify and exploit emerging cultural conflicts

• Why It's Uncomfortable: Profits from damaging social cohesion

4. Digital Addiction Engineering

• Thesis: While others try to solve phone addiction, build stronger addiction mechanisms

• Example: Consulting firms teaching companies how to bypass "digital wellness" features

• Why It's Uncomfortable: Deliberately damages mental health for profit

5. Trust Destruction Services

• Thesis: As trust in institutions declines, profit from accelerating that decline

• Example: Tools that help companies secretly automate human interactions while pretending they're real

• Why It's Uncomfortable: Systematically erodes social trust for gain

The Real Contrarian's Manifesto

Let's be brutally honest: True contrarian investing isn't just about being different—it's about profiting from humanity's darkest tendencies. While ESG investors chase feel-good stories and amateur contrarians buy beaten-down value stocks, real wealth is being built in the shadows of society's moral blind spots.

The greatest opportunities of 2024 won't be found in consensus contrarian plays like "AI is overhyped" or "Bitcoin is dead." They'll be found in questions like:

• What if privacy is already dead, and the real money is in helping kill it faster?

• What if social media's damage to teen mental health is actually undervalued by the market?

• What if the climate crisis creates more profitable opportunities than its solutions?

Here's your litmus test: If explaining your investment thesis makes you feel like a villain in a movie, you're finally on the right track. If your positions don't keep you up at night questioning your own ethics, they're not contrarian enough.

Remember: History's greatest fortunes weren't built by betting against markets—they were built by betting against human nature itself. The question isn't whether you can spot these opportunities. The question is whether you can stomach them.betting against markets—they were built by betting against human nature itself. The only question is: Are you willing to profit from what others can't even bear to think about?

The Let’s Get Rich Team

1  Disclaimer: Not Financial Advice
This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Investments carry significant risk, and you should always conduct your own research and consult with a licensed financial professional before making any investment decisions.