Developers are Firing Their Contractors 🚨

Author

Owen Drury
August 25, 2025

Developers turning into contractors, productivity charts getting roasted, and a GC dropping insider truths.

In this week’s Bricks, Bucks & Bytes episode:

🏗️ Dubai developers are bringing construction in-house, chasing control, speed, and fatter margins.

📉 McKinsey’s famous productivity curve gets called out as misleading (and maybe cherry-picked).

🔋 Barton Malow’s strategy chief joins live to talk about industrial projects, fintech in construction, and how data really flows through a $5B GC.


But that’s not all:

  • Patric explains M&A with a metaphor about borrowing tools from your neighbor (and why “best owner logic” matters in construction).

  • Martin drops Dubai stats that make your jaw hit the floor: sales up 20% YoY, prices doubling since 2021.

  • Dustin reminds everyone that chasing higher GC margins also means chasing bigger risks.


🎧 Listen now for:

  • Why standardization (not hype) is the hidden driver behind insourcing.

  • How Barton Malow thinks about pre-con data, project definitions, and real ROI on innovation.

  • Why branded residences might be construction’s version of luxury handbags.


đź—Ł Bonus: Some personal highlights

  • Owen almost became a British rock star (Nottingham was the world tour).

  • Patric Googles cartel net worths mid-podcast.

  • Dustin explains why management fees > LP returns in venture.

  • Victor from Barton Malow shares the one startup product his GC actually loves.

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