9781398541283_

In the age of big data, no company embodies its promise and its perils more than Palantir. This software firm sells some of the most powerful and dangerous technology in the world, ingesting huge quantities of data and spotting patterns, trends, and connections that would likely elude most people. Apart from Facebook, youd be hard-pressed to find another tech company thats making as big of a splash or fraught with more potential pitfalls.

Founded in 2003 to help the US government in the war on terror, Palantir now has more than thirty federal agencies as clients. From climate change and terrorism to poverty to immigration, money laundering, and the future of warfare, Palantir is at the nexus of the most critical issues of the 21st century. At its helm is cofounder and CEO Alex Karp, an atypical tech boss with a law degree from Stanford and a doctorate in social theory from Germanys Goethe University, yet no background in either computer science or business. Now, in The Philosopher in the Valley, journalist Michael Steinberger delves deeply into Karp and the company hes leading, highlighting the risks to privacy and civil liberties that come with big data. Can we get the good without the bad and if not, what are the trade-offs?

Karps unique political and philosophical views put him and the company at odds with fellow cofounder Peter Thiel, a big supporter of Donald Trump in Silicon Valley. The technology they created has the potential to shape the global power dynamic and the way individuals interact with governments. Urgent and important, this illuminating work shows us what this future might look like.

...(*_*)9781398541283_

Palantir Technologies is the most interesting company in the world and the most controversial.

Palantir builds data integration software: its technology ingests vast quantities of information and quickly identifies patterns, trends and connections that might elude the human eye. Founded in 2003 to help the U.S. government in the war on terrorism an early investor was the CIA Palantir is now a 400 billion global colossus whose software is used by major intelligence services (including the Mossad), the U.S. military, the National Health Service in England and corporate giants like Airbus and BP. From AI to counterterrorism to climate change to immigration to financial fraud to healthcare to the future of warfare, the company is at the nexus of the most critical issues of the twenty-first century.

Its billionaire CEO, Alex Karp, is a distinctive figure on the global business scene. A biracial Jew who is also severely dyslexic, Karp has built Palantir into a tech giant despite having no background in either business or computer science. Instead, hes a trained philosopher who has become known for his strongly held views on a range of issues and for his willingness to grapple with the moral and ethical implications of Palantirs work. Those questions have taken on added urgency during the Trump era, which has also brought attention to the political activism of Karps close friend and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel.

In The Philosopher in the Valley, journalist Michael Steinberger is the first to tell the story of Alex Karp and Palantir from the beginning. Steinberger offers new biographical details and a rich psychological portrait of the man leading one of the worlds most secretive companies. Full of revelations, this is an urgent and insightful book about technological power, the surveillance state and the future we all face.

...(*_*)9781398541283_

Palantir Technologies is the most interesting company in the world and the most controversial.

Palantir builds data integration software: its technology ingests vast quantities of information and quickly identifies patterns, trends and connections that might elude the human eye. Founded in 2003 to help the U.S. government in the war on terrorism an early investor was the CIA Palantir is now a 400 billion global colossus whose software is used by major intelligence services (including the Mossad), the U.S. military, the National Health Service in England, and corporate giants like Airbus and BP. From AI to counterterrorism to climate change to immigration to financial fraud to healthcare to the future of warfare, the company is at the nexus of the most critical issues of the twenty-first century.

...(*_*)9781398541283_

‘An excellent look at what Palantir does, as well as a fascinating insight into the mind of its eccentric chief executive’ Telegraph

Palantir Technologies is the most interesting company in the world – and the most controversial.

Palantir builds data integration software: its technology ingests vast quantities of information and quickly identifies patterns, trends and connections that might elude the human eye. Founded in 2003 to help the U.S. government in the war on terrorism – an early investor was the CIA – Palantir is now a $400 billion global colossus whose software is used by major intelligence services (including the Mossad), the U.S. military, the National Health Service in England, and corporate giants like Airbus and BP. From AI to counterterrorism to climate change to immigration to financial fraud to healthcare to the future of warfare, the company is at the nexus of the most critical issues of the twenty-first century.

Its billionaire CEO, Alex Karp, is a distinctive figure on the global business scene. A biracial Jew who is also severely dyslexic, Karp has built Palantir into a tech giant despite having no background in either business or computer science. Instead, he’s a trained philosopher who has become known for his strongly held views on a range of issues and for his willingness to grapple with the moral and ethical implications of Palantir’s work. Those questions have taken on added urgency during the Trump era, which has also brought attention to the political activism of Karp’s close friend and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel.

In The Philosopher in the Valley, journalist Michael Steinberger is the first to tell the story of Alex Karp and Palantir from the beginning. Steinberger offers new biographical details and a rich psychological portrait of the man leading one of the world’s most secretive companies. Full of revelations, this is an urgent and insightful book about technological power, the surveillance state and the future we all face.

The Philosopher in the Valley

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