The Philosopher in the Valley
Alex Karp, Palantir, and the Rise of the Surveillance State
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New York Times Magazine writer Michael Steinberger profiles Palantir and its outspoken CEO Alex Karp, tracing through them the rise of Big Data, surveillance technology and a shifting global balance of power. Palantir's software integrates data and finds patterns in vast amounts of it. Set up in 2003 with an aim of aiding Washington's counterterrorism work, and backed early on by the CIA, it now sells to the US military, dozens of federal agencies, intelligence services including the Mossad, and firms like BP and Airbus. Karp, a biracial Jew with severe dyslexia, is a trained philosopher with no background in business or computer science. Karp is known for grappling with the ethics of Palantir's work. Published in 2025.
Bill Ackman called it a quick, well-written read that works partly as a biography of Alex Karp and partly as a close study of Palantir, and found it an honest portrait of both.
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It was a quick, well-written, and fascinating read, in part a biography on Alex Karp as well as a deep dive on @PalantirTech. I found the book to be an honest portrayal of both. Definitely worth a read.
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