🌊 The Philosopher King of the Military-Industrial Complex

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By Barratt Dewey

In the world of Silicon Valley billionaires, Alex Karp stands apart. He is not an engineer, a libertarian, or a polished corporate titan. Instead, the man who runs one of the most powerful and controversial tech companies in America is a self-described socialist philosopher with a PhD in neoclassical social theory known for his curls and intellectual monologues.

Yet Karp is every bit a titan. His company, Palantir Technologies, has quietly embedded itself deep into the fabric of the US government, providing an analytical pillar to the CIA, the Pentagon, law enforcement agencies, and even the Department of Health and Human Services. It is, in many ways, the most influential tech company the average person has never heard of. And today, Palantir’s power has never been greater.

With its origins in the War on Terror, its expansion into global surveillance, and its growing role in AI-driven warfare, Palantir is no longer just a tech company. It is a crucial player in the military-industrial complex, an organization shaping the future of intelligence and defense. And through it all, Karp remains its eccentric and enigmatic leader, guiding Palantir with a mix of high-minded philosophy and ruthless decision-making. The question is: Will his vision make the world safer, or simply more surveilled?

Editor’s Note

Thank you all for reading. We hope you’re enjoying this week’s series. We’re curious to hear your thoughts on Karp and Palantir. Will the integration of AI into defense reshape the military-industrial complex? Send in your thoughts here! 

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That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.

–Max and Max