/
Navigation
Chronicles
Browse all articles
Explore
Semantic exploration
Research
Entity momentum
Nexus
Correlations & relationships
Story Arc
Topic evolution
Drift Map
Semantic trajectory animation
Posts
Analysis & commentary
Pulse API
Tech news intelligence API
Browse
Entities
Companies, people, products, technologies
Domains
Browse by publication source
Handles
Browse by social media handle
Detection
Concept Search
Semantic similarity search
High Impact Stories
Top coverage by position
Sentiment Analysis
Positive/negative coverage
Anomaly Detection
Unusual coverage patterns
Analysis
Rivalry Report
Compare two entities head-to-head
Semantic Pivots
Narrative discontinuities
Crisis Response
Event recovery patterns
Connected
Search: /
Command: ⌘K
Embeddings: large
TEXXR

Chronicles

The story behind the story

days · browse · Enter similar · o open

Profile of Palantir CEO Alex Karp and the controversies around Palantir's trustworthiness; Karp claims his progressivism offsets Thiel's relationship with Trump

New York Times Michael Steinberger

Discussion

  • @cmarinucci Carla Marinucci on x
    —@PeterThiel co-founded PayPal, and after 9/11, “it occurred to him that PayPal's anti-fraud algorithms could possibly help the U.S. govt combat terrorism.” In 2003, Thiel asked a trio of software engineers to create a prototype. #Palantir was born. https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @andrewmgrossman Andrew M. Grossman on x
    The NYT doubts Peter Thiel's “commitment to democratic society and fair play” b/c he “urg[ed] Mark Zuckerberg not to censor political ads on Facebook.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @glovink Geert Lovink on x
    Mainstream America vs. Silicon Valley, the old story. Palantir CEO Karp: What's Google's narrative? 'We destroy the media, we divide the country, we take away your job, we get rich, and by the way, when the country needs you, we're nowhere to be found.'" https://www.nytimes.com/.…
  • @thoughtland Pat Kane on x
    “'Palantir', Alex Karp said, ‘is the convergence of software and difficult positions.’” How power elites work in 2020. (Hilariously, by ingesting considerable amounts of the dreaded “Cultural Marxism” & “Critical Theory”. Not to mention Tolkien). https://www.nytimes.com/... https…
  • @areidross @areidross on x
    I have no idea what to do with the fact that Alex Karp was a student of Jurgen Habermas. I just don't! https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @ampressman Aaron Pressman on x
    Alex Karp is pretty self-aware: “You think it is helpful having a fluorescent praying mantis coming into their office, telling them about German philosophy? Do you think that's helpful? I can tell you, it's not helpful.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @mr_considerate Elvis Buuelo on x
    This shot of a Palantir meeting *with a picture of Michel Foucault hanging on the wall* is just too on the nose. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
  • @nytmag NYT on x
    Palantir helps governments and law enforcement decipher vast amounts of data — to mysterious and, some say, dangerous ends. Our cover story this week: https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
  • @dorotheabaur Dorothea Baur on x
    One of #Palantir's overarching ambitions early on was “to prove that there was a technological solution to the challenge of balancing public safety and civil liberties”. Failed. #surveillance #ICE https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @carlhendy Carl Hendy on x
    Does Palantir See Too Much? Long read, very interesting. https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @claudia_sahm Claudia Sahm on x
    worked with some great programmers and project managers at Palantir on Fed's big data project https://twitter.com/...
  • @patrickc Patrick Collison on x
    Extensively-researched NYT piece about Palantir: https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @aaschapiro Avi Asher-Schapiro on x
    A few weeks ago, Palantir said it couldn't speak to the media, when @weinbergersa wrote this incisive piece: https://nymag.com/... But, both the CEO & founder were super chatty in today's NYT piece, which coincidentally, is much more sympathetic https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @traceyfutures @traceyfutures on x
    “Palantir says it does not do business in countries that it considers adversarial to the U.S. and its allies, namely China and Russia. In the company's early days, Palantir employees, invoking Tolkien, described their mission as “saving the shire.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @aaschapiro Avi Asher-Schapiro on x
    There's a lot to say about this flattering profile of Palantir & its CEO, but one thing that stands out is the author admitting towards the top he's not capable of understanding Karp's PhD dissertation....& then proceeding to try & profile the guy. https://www.nytimes.com/... htt…
  • @keilypolitics @keilypolitics on x
    Palantir has rejected some potential clients because it was worried about how they might use its software. It had spurned a lucrative offer from the Saudi government because of Riyadh's human rights record. @iyad_elbaghdadi @mmcauliff https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @empo11on AK Martin on x
    Has @WFP published anything yet on the results of its work with @PalantirTech? I ask having read in @NYTmag that “Palantir's tech has played a 𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆 in WFP's effort to get food and supplies distributed amid the pandemic.” Where's the evidence?! https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @chrisamccoy McCoy on x
    On a second read of this long Palantir genesis story, “why” it exists makes sense. The barbell philosophies they had to solve for, and hopefully still try to, are fascinating and important. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
  • @warrenisdead @warrenisdead on x
    here's a fun, illuminating quote from Thiel where he endorses a Christian Providentialist view of the world, obscured through a work of fantasy fiction that therefore allows him to assume the role of Christian Providence without naming it as such https://www.nytimes.com/... https…
  • @chrisamccoy McCoy on x
    Palantir is effectively the data science department of the United States government. Yes, they see too much. https://www.nytimes.com/...
  • @rmac18 @rmac18 on x
    Weird to frame the guy who wrote Facebook its first investor check as being worried about personal privacy. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...