Alex Karp, Palantir’s CEO, Talks about War and AI in America.
Mr. Thiel said the company tries to work with “more allied” and “less corrupt” governments, noting dryly that aside from their ideological stances, “with corrupt countries you never get paid.” Karp stated that “we have a consistent pro-Western viewpoint that the West is superior in terms of its way of life and organization, especially if it lives up to our goals.” It’s amazing how radical this is considering that it’s really not that radical, according to me.” You’re asked to apologize for your beliefs in some places, but we do not. I won’t apologize for standing up for the U.S. Government on the border or for Special Ops. Or bringing people home. As one Karp friend put it, “Alex is principled.” You just may not like his principles.”
Kara Swisher, the author of “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story,” told me: “While Palantir promises a more efficient and cost-effective way to conduct war, should our goal be to make it less expensive, onerous and painful? War is not like a videogame, and it shouldn’t be. Diane von Furstenberg, Karp’s close friend, told me that Karp sees himself as Batman and believes in the importance of picking sides in an unjust world. The New York office, Gotham, features Batman prints and a statue. Palantir was viewed as dangerous by some Democrats in 2016 because Mr. Thiel supported former president Donald J. Trump. In 2016, some Democrats viewed Palantir as ominous because Mr. Thiel supported former President Donald J. Trump.
