Palantir's AI Dominance: From Battlefield to Boardroom

Palantir, the AI giant that preaches US dominance

Palantir, an American data analysis and artificial intelligence company, has emerged as Silicon Valley's latest tech darling -- one that makes no secret of its macho, America-first ethos now ascendant in Trump-era tech culture. The company's reach spans the global economy, with banks, hospitals, the US government, and the Israeli military among its ever-expanding client roster. "We want and need this country to be the strongest, most important country in the world," Alex Karp, Palantir's CEO, recently declared at a client conference in Palo Alto, California, where AFP was the only media outlet present. In armed conflicts -- most notably in Ukraine -- Palantir's tools help evaluate potential targets in real-time, using multiple sources, including biometric data and intercepted phone calls. "I'm super proud of... what we do to protect our soldiers... (using our AI) to kill our enemies and scare them, because they know they will be killed," the graying, curly-haired billionaire continued, wearing a tight white T-shirt. Washington has been filling Palantir's coffers. In the first quarter, the company received $373 million from the US government -- a 45% jump from the previous year -- and it's not all military spending. This spring, federal immigration authorities (ICE) awarded the company a $30 million contract to develop a new platform for tracking deportations and visa overstays. 'Like a drug' The company then secured an investment of nearly $800 million from the US military, adding to the $480 million contract signed in May 2024 for its AI platform supporting the Pentagon's "Project Maven" target identification program. This marked Palantir's first billion-dollar contract, elevating it alongside government contracting stalwarts like Microsoft and Amazon's AWS. However, financial results "are not and will never be the ultimate measure of the value, broadly defined, of our business," Karp wrote in his letter to shareholders in early May, where he tossed in quotes from Saint Augustine, the Bible and Richard Nixon. "We have grander and more idiosyncratic aims." Palantir was founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel -- Silicon Valley's preeminent conservative -- Karp, and others with CIA backing. The company takes its name from the magical seeing stones in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." "Young people would say we're like pure drugs -- very expensive, highly sought after... that make you stronger and better," Karp boasted on stage. Palantir's expanding footprint at the highest levels of government has raised eyebrows. Several members of the Trump administration's "DOGE" cost-cutting commission, originally headed by Elon Musk, came from the company. Recent reports from The New York Times, Wired, and CNN have detailed secret government projects to create, with Palantir's help, a central database combining data from different federal agencies. 'Deeply proud' This development has created "a lot of concerns about how that information might be used," warned Elizabeth Laird from the Center for Democracy & Technology. Palantir maintains it isn't building "surveillance technology" or a "central database on Americans." Unlike most traditional Silicon Valley companies that have kept military projects discreet, Palantir now embraces its defense work openly. Sasha Spivak, director of strategy, said that when she joined Palantir ten years ago, the company kept its sense of purpose behind closed doors. "Today we're not ashamed, we're not afraid, and we're deeply proud of what we do and our clients," said Spivak. Some employee groups are pushing back. In early May, 13 former Palantir employees published a letter accusing tech giants of helping to "normalize authoritarianism under the cover of a 'revolution' led by oligarchs." They argue that by supporting the Trump administration and DOGE, Palantir has betrayed its stated values of ethics, transparency, and defending democracy. "When I joined the company... there were many smart, motivated people -- that's pretty rare," said one of the letter's signatories, who wishes to remain anonymous, for fear of reprisal. After months of seeking management explanations about Palantir's collaboration with Israel and ICE, several of these employees resigned. "They said, 'We're a company that's very responsive to employees,' but people asking about Israel were quickly shut down and told, 'That's what we do -- if you don't like it, you can leave,'" the former staffer recalled. Jeremy David, co-director of the Health division, plays down the controversies. "My daily life is more about nurses and doctors who often hate us at first and are very grateful at the end," he told AFP at the conference. On stage, Joe Bonanno, head of data analysis at Citibank, celebrated how one operation that previously required "nine days and sometimes 50 people" now "takes just a few minutes for one person." "Like I said, and like Alex said, I came to dominate, crush and annihilate. So if you're JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, sorry," he concluded with a broad smile. Some potential clients quietly admit they don't appreciate the war-like rhetoric, but they see no alternative to Palantir's capabilities.

Palantir, the AI giant that preaches US dominance

Palo Alto (United States) (AFP) - Palantir, an American data analysis and artificial intelligence company, has emerged as Silicon Valley's latest tech darling -- one that makes no secret of its macho, America-first ethos now ascendant in Trump-era tech culture. The company's reach spans the global economy, with banks, hospitals, the US government, and the Israeli military among its ever-expanding client roster. "We want and need this country to be the strongest, most important country in the world," Alex Karp, Palantir's CEO, recently declared at a client conference in Palo Alto, California, where AFP was the only media outlet present. In armed conflicts -- most notably in Ukraine -- Palantir's tools help evaluate potential targets in real-time, using multiple sources, including biometric data and intercepted phone calls. "I'm super proud of... what we do to protect our soldiers... (using our AI) to kill our enemies and scare them, because they know they will be killed," the graying, curly-haired billionaire continued, wearing a tight white T-shirt. Washington has been filling Palantir's coffers. In the first quarter, the company received $373 million from the US government -- a 45 percent jump from the previous year -- and it's not all miltary spending. This spring, federal immigration authorities (ICE) awarded the company a $30 million contract to develop a new platform for tracking deportations and visa overstays. 'Like a drug' The company then secured an investment of nearly $800 million from the US military, adding to the $480 million contract signed in May 2024 for its AI platform supporting the Pentagon's "Project Maven" target identification program. This marked Palantir's first billion-dollar contract, elevating it alongside government contracting stalwarts like Microsoft and Amazon's AWS. However, financial results "are not and will never be the ultimate measure of the value, broadly defined, of our business," Karp wrote in his letter to shareholders in early May, where he tossed in quotes from Saint Augustine, the Bible and Richard Nixon. "We have grander and more idiosyncratic aims." Palantir was founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel -- Silicon Valley's preeminent conservative -- Karp, and others with CIA backing. The company takes its name from the magical seeing stones in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." "Young people would say we're like pure drugs -- very expensive, highly sought after... that make you stronger and better," Karp boasted on stage. Palantir's expanding footprint at the highest levels of government has raised eyebrows. Several members of the Trump administration's "DOGE" cost-cutting commission, originally headed by Elon Musk, came from the company. Recent reports from The New York Times, Wired, and CNN have detailed secret government projects to create, with Palantir's help, a central database combining data from different federal agencies. 'Deeply proud' This development has created "a lot of concerns about how that information might be used," warned Elizabeth Laird from the Center for Democracy & Technology. Palantir maintains it isn't building "surveillance technology" or a "central database on Americans." Unlike most traditional Silicon Valley companies that have kept military projects discreet, Palantir now embraces its defense work openly. Sasha Spivak, director of strategy, said that when she joined Palantir ten years ago, the company kept its sense of purpose behind closed doors. "Today we're not ashamed, we're not afraid, and we're deeply proud of what we do and our clients," said Spivak. Some employee groups are pushing back. In early May, 13 former Palantir employees published a letter accusing tech giants of helping to "normalize authoritarianism under the cover of a 'revolution' led by oligarchs." They argue that by supporting the Trump administration and DOGE, Palantir has betrayed its stated values of ethics, transparency, and defending democracy. "When I joined the company... there were many smart, motivated people -- that's pretty rare," said one of the letter's signatories, who wishes to remain anonymous, for fear of reprisal. After months of seeking management explanations about Palantir's collaboration with Israel and ICE, several of these employees resigned. "They said, 'We're a company that's very responsive to employees,' but people asking about Israel were quickly shut down and told, 'That's what we do -- if you don't like it, you can leave,'" the former staffer recalled. Jeremy David, co-director of the Health division, plays down the controversies. "My daily life is more about nurses and doctors who often hate us at first and are very grateful at the end," he told AFP at the conference. On stage, Joe Bonanno, head of data analysis at Citibank, celebrated how one operation that previously required "nine days and sometimes 50 people" now "takes just a few minutes for one person." "Like I said, and like Alex said, I came to dominate, crush and annihilate. So if you're JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, sorry," he concluded with a broad smile. Some potential clients quietly admit they don't appreciate the war-like rhetoric, but they see no alternative to Palantir's capabilities.

Palantir's AI is helping pick targets in war zones, and its billionaire boss Alex Karp is boasting about it

Palantir uses AI in war zones: Palantir Technologies, a data analytics and artificial intelligence firm co-founded by billionaire Alex Karp and venture capitalist Peter Thiel, is boldly embracing the company's role in modern warfare, as per a report. At a recent closed-door client conference in Palo Alto, where only AFP was granted media access, Karp spoke with pride, "We want and need this country to be the strongest, most important country in the world," as quoted in the AFP report. He then added, "I'm super proud of... what we do to protect our soldiers... (using our AI) to kill our enemies and scare them, because they know they will be killed," as quoted in the report. He was referring to Palantir's AI tools currently deployed in live war zones like Ukraine, which have helped evaluate potential targets in real-time, using multiple sources, including biometric data and intercepted phone calls, as reported by AFP. ALSO READ: $3,360 tax bill turns into $33,060 nightmare, couple adds extra zero on tax bill -- IRS refuses to give it back The firm has emerged as Silicon Valley's latest tech darling, driven by the US president Donald Trump-era tech culture, according to the report. Palantir's reach covers the global economy, with banks, hospitals, the US government, and the Israeli military among its ever-expanding client list, as reported by AFP. The company received $373 million from the US government in the first quarter, which is a 45% increase from the same period last year, as per the report. Palantir also got a $30 million contract to develop a new platform for tracking deportations and visa overstays, as reported by AFP. Then the firm secured an investment of about $800 million from the US military, adding to the $480 million contract signed in May 2024 for its AI platform supporting the Pentagon's "Project Maven" target identification program, as reported by AFP. Karp boasted about his company on stage, saying, "Young people would say we're like pure drugs -- very expensive, highly sought after... that make you stronger and better," as quoted in the report. ALSO READ: NYC shooting: Blackstone executive killed by suspect Shane Tamura - here are the details Meanwhile, Palantir's expanding reach at the highest levels of the US government has raised concerns as many workers of the Trump administration's "DOGE" cost-cutting commission, initially led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, had come from the company, as per the AFP report. As per multiple reports from The New York Times, Wired, and CNN, there are ongoing secret government projects that will be created with Palantir's help, a central database combining data from different federal agencies. Elizabeth Laird from the Center for Democracy & Technology warned that this development has created "a lot of concerns about how that information might be used," as quoted in the report. However, Palantir has claimed that it is not creating "surveillance technology" or a "central database on Americans," as quoted by AFP. What does Palantir's AI do in war zones like Ukraine? Palantir's AI tools help military forces evaluate targets in real-time using biometric data, intercepted calls, and other intelligence sources. Who is Alex Karp and what does he say about Palantir's mission? Alex Karp is Palantir's CEO. He openly supports using the company's AI to protect soldiers and "kill our enemies," according to AFP.