WEBVTT

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We were the freak show and [music] we

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spent 20 years for this moment.

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>> We're doing it. We're doing it. And I'm
sure you're enjoying this as much as I

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am. >> If you were a cupcake,
what kind of cupcake would you be?

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>> I don't want to be a cupcake
cuz I don't want to get eaten.

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>> Alex Karp, welcome to Sorcery.
I'm happy to be here.

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>> Well, we're fresh off of earnings.

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Palunteer has hit $500 billion recently.

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Just released a new biography.
How are you feeling?

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>> Um, I feel really good. Um,

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you know, look, we started the company

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with a lot of ideas that uh were really

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exceedingly controversial until about
two years ago. FDES, everyone thought

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that would destroy your company.
uh being fully meritocratic. Everyone

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thought you're not supposed to do that.

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Um uh low hierarchy, almost no one does

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that. So like like Eleano and I were

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only separated by one layer, which is

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fictional because like we talk and it's

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a very very flat hierarchy. Um we were

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uh we thought we should give America an

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unfair advantage uh in government first

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and then in commercial. Um, we built

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these products more like artistic things

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years before anyone thought their
relevance. PG, the anti-terror product.

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Uh, Gaia, the product that most special

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operations use in the world. Um,

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Foundry, uh, ontology, Apollo, Maven.

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>> Uh, and we're still a freak show.

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[laughter] Uh and you know if you walk
around here like the crazy thing about

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Palunteer is you know I I I get invited

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to like I meet lots of companies and we

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you know big companies small companies
private companies commercial companies

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the most famous people in the world some

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people should be famous but luckily
for them aren't. And I would say Palanteer

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like feels like if you walk around here

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it's like uh kind of a startup vibe. I

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mean but but but with scale and the the
thing that's special about Palanteer I

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mean my version externally is we gave
venture returns not just venture returns

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we gave venture returns as if you're

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like you know I don't know you're you

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like Peter Teal Seoia Koslow returns

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to the average person who is willing to

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do their own work and stand up against

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uh uh kind of tried but not true ideas

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like playbooks. So, we're like the
antiplaybook company and then, you know,

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I mean, you know, I'm currently in a
battle with, you know, short sellers

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primarily because they could go short

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some carcinogenic company, but they have

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to short arguably the best company
in this country and in the world by any

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metric. And by the way, judge us
by our enemies. Look who hates us. Like, I

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mean, like, go online. I mean, I guess
people here have gone on X. Like, just

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forget any you don't need to know
anything else. just look at like who

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hates Palenteer and look who hates me
and then judge us by that standard. What

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should our market cap be based on that

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standard? So, um I don't know. I'm very

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proud uh of where we are. Um I believe I

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know it's the way beginning, you know,
internally we're kind of a very young

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company. >> I mean,
I don't mean just in terms of

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age, which is also true, but it's just a

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young fresh vibe. We've anti-aged.

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>> You've reached anti-aging.
We've reached

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anti-aging. It's either Well, I do think

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uh age of company is directly correlated

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with the rate of age or anti-aging is

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directly correlated with the layers of

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hierarchy. Our company is 20 years old

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and feels like it's has scale of a

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20-year company, but the vibe of a four
or 5year-old company. Meaning, we know

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what we're doing. We have a way of doing
things. It's very tribal. We're we stick

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to our tribal knowledge. But it's you

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know like for example you know we put

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the whole companies we bet on the US

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military and on the US commercial sector
and we pivoted the whole company to both

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basically I mean that we still have
a massive presence outside of America but

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we've been and like we can
do we can make these decisions

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like in like somebody we la this
marriage meritocracy uh thing which is

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basically to give people who are
tired of being discriminated against an

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application process a chance to come
and learn something useful. Uh, and the

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people always say, "How long did it take
to launch that?" And I was like, "Yeah,

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I don't know. Three minutes."
>> Three minutes.

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>> Yeah. It's like decision. I don't know.

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Like a lot of like I was we were
talking about this before, but like

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>> the it's it's hard to be fair to the

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total barereft of common sense and in in

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practice not particularly honest analyst
expert class. Not because they're wrong

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the first time, but primarily because
they can't admit they were wrong the

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first time when they're wrong the 10th

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time. But if you want to be slightly

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fair to them, this company runs
on like a much more artistic.

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It's more much more artistic than science.
So >> where does that come from?

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>> Um, you know, I obviously primarily
from my mom was a professional and

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world-class artist. And again,
everyone says they're an artist,

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but then there's a very big difference

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between a glacial difference between

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like my mom is a above one rule of 100

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artists like you know it's like in in a

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very different sphere and then on my
father's side they were heavily involved

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in commercial art

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>> and like textiles for like a thousand

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years. So like and what what people

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always think of like the lay person
thinks of art is you just doodle

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something but I know it's crazy but uh
you're from like an artistic family like

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that's what people think but actually

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art is you you tap into something very

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very deep that is not understood about

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the period of time you're in

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>> and does not become understood until

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like 20 30 years later. And that art

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captures

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something in the zeitgeist that is so

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special, but then the depth also
transmutes to like something more

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universal. >> Do you think that's how
Palunteer is being viewed right now?

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>> Well, no. I mean, I think people like
I think I think one of the one of the

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crazy things about our society is people
who are more on the front line like

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soldiers, workers,

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uh vocational workers. um what we call

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retail investors, they're actually
looking at the frontline data in an

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unfiltered way

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>> and then almost everybody else has

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outsourced value assessment and

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quantitative metrics to experts

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>> but the experts in general
generalization are I can't think of any

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expert class that's been right about

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anything substantive in the last 20

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years and then so at this point when

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you're like when the experts call
the experts the analysts in this case or

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journalists or I don't know you're a

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financial analyst for a paper a hedge

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fund like you are actually a medium and

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it's your job to transfer the reality on

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the ground into a reality you can
understand. Yeah. But the reality you

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can understand is not reality. And like

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but then because there's like it's like

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a a super unique uh bubble, they can't

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quite allow themselves to say, "Yeah,
but" and so but one of the greatest

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trends is like I mean at the end of the
day, what makes one of the things that

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makes a great artist great is they have

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a vision of what they see in the world

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and they stick to that vision. Although

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everybody in the world said, "You can't

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paint like that. You can't write like

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that. You can't you can't picture

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photography that way. Uh because it
doesn't I don't know. Then and then by

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the way, most great artists like
my mother end up with no money.

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>> Yeah. >> And uh I mean
that's the the book has

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like a lot of TDS in it. But I mean
it is true. We were not economically

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privileged. But you could look at it
as like but why were we not economically

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privileged? Because like my parents have

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these super high level of intellect.

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Yeah. But it's also because they kind
of stuck to their guns of how they saw the

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world and that's where the experts are
like, you know, like this isn't safe

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because in almost all cases this doesn't
work. Yeah, they're right. But in the

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one case where you change the world,
it's the only way it can work.

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>> Is this why you're so committed to
the American worker and even in the recent

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re earnings call you called out you're

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giving venture returns to retail

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investors? you've created a really

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amazing cult behind Wall Street Bets
and a lot of retail. So, how do you feel

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about retail? >> Well,
I think you know I always think

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there's the economic and there's the

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psychological and really powerful things

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are aligned. So, like you know I I in no

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way like I hate these victimhood BS
things and and honestly when you're

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almost everyone who believes in that is
a mark whether they realize it or not.

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But I mean like they may not realize
it but you are the mark and like uh and

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that's frustrating because a lot
of these people who believe in that really

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deserve better but it's hard to give

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better if you believe in an ideology

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that can't work. But um

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I did come from an environment and where

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it was not expected that I would be

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co-founder and have a butt for role
in building arguably one of the greatest

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companies ever built. And I don't mean
that even like in like the half trillion

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dollar market cap or whatever it is or I
just mean in terms of how it's changed

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the lives primarily of Americans on the

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battlefield as investors and also um you

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know um on the on on the factory floor.

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But the thing is, if you come from

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nothing and you're this amorphous,

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racially dyslexic person from a very

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specific kind of culture, not even

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Jewish culture, it's like superbicger

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Germanic left-wing culture, you

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assume the world may not work out for

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you and is definitely not looking out

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for you. Okay. So, what other group
of people in this culture have exactly the

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same vibe? Yeah. Soldiers,
people on the factory

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floor. Who does the dying and bleeding

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for us? Soldiers, people on the factory

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floor. Who gets killed because somehow
constitutional legal scholars only read

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the Constitution so it's expansive
to protect their rights. So their right to

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be happy, their right to be go to Yale,
their right to be wealthy, their right

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to be safe. But somehow the constitution

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cannot be read to stop the reality of

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like in the last two years more people
have died of fenol than every single

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person who's died in as a soldier since
World War II. But they they can't and

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and part of it is like they have a lot
of intellectual re reasons, but the real

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reason is they don't see themselves
as having had the same fate. But if you're

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me, you you look at those people
and then quite frankly look look at the US

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Army. Look who fought and died

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>> for our rights today. By the way, it so

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it and it was like it and it was mostly

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workingass people from what the elite

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calls flyover states. It still is. Um

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and then look at the US military.
It integrated first to integrate, first to

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bring me. It still fights for meritocracy.
The first major institution

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in the world to say, I don't care where

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you're from. and they did it way before

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American society. So that's that

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version. Then there's the economic
stability version. My version of what

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and we by the way what a fair thing
to ask people is what were you saying 10

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years ago? Right? So one of the most

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amazing things about Palunteer like is
and you know this but like you go online

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and people who like you know whatever
some people don't like my vast words of

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wisdom and they're like he's saying this
now. What did he say 10 years ago? Like

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we are saying this, we've been saying
this for 20 years. Close the border. Get

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rid of the identity politics.
Victimhood It's especially bad for the

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for people who need it. Uh have
a strong military. Make that military the

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strongest of the world. Give an unfair
advantage to America. Do not treat all

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cultures of equal. Simultaneously do not
get on the whole neocon make the whole

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world like America thing because
it doesn't work. Be skeptical of

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immigration. uh built technology will be

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the determinant variable in who runs the
world. All the stuff you're learning at

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Berkeley about people are just going
to inherently absorb American values is

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really just downstream from our military
superiority. You don't know that, but

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our adversaries absolutely know that.

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We've been saying this for 20 years.
And the only difference now is people who

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are skeptical of us are forced
to realize we could be right, which is why

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they run to short sellers and analysts

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who still can't gro where we're at.

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There was a part in the book where you

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had just won the Dwight Eisenhower award
and this was a little bit of a surprise

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to your employees but you got a little
choked up because of the impact of what

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that is >> to troops and so
could you just explain

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what that experience was like for you?

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>> Well, first of all, Eisenhower has his

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German name. He's from a German

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religious minority family. He uh de he

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was a a pivotal peri figure at gunpoint

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in desegregation. He helped win the war

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or pivotal um and but the the main thing

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is you know it's I lived in Germany for

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a lot of my adult life uh which was a

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phenomenal experience which maybe they
went into in too much graphic detail.

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>> What are you talking about?

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>> We don't know. It's like uh it was um
I went for the right reasons and I may

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have stayed for the wrong reasons, but

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it's okay. I uh and I so I have um a lot

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of uh a deep understanding and and I'll

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get to this and deep appreciation
for the German culture. I think one of the

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craziest things is you have this whole
thing online where people like like law

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the Nazis like I spend a lot of time

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talking to Nazis like real Nazis and

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like understanding what made them tick
and what made them I mean part of the

00:14:23.920 --> 00:14:27.677
crazy thing about people the Nazis
nowadays is there's not a single Nazi

00:14:27.760 --> 00:14:30.157
that would ever have included them
in their movement and would have shipped

00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:32.877
them off to the camps quicker maybe than

00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:35.917
they shipped me off to the camps. Uh but

00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.237
um and uh and it's like it's uh but

00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:42.317
thing that is crazy unique about America

00:14:42.400 --> 00:14:45.917
whether it's you know somebody from

00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:48.477
Montana

00:14:48.560 --> 00:14:51.197
>> Iowa

00:14:51.280 --> 00:14:54.557
going over to fight

00:14:54.640 --> 00:14:56.237
>> because they believed in America and

00:14:56.320 --> 00:14:59.037
they believed in the greater good and

00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:04.077
there really was this was a primarily

00:15:04.160 --> 00:15:06.397
moral All it's like honestly it's like

00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:11.277
Lincoln. This guy fought to end slavery.

00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:13.997
It was not economic. It was moral.

00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:15.037
>> Mhm.

00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:18.717
>> Like what other
culture actually engaged

00:15:18.800 --> 00:15:23.677
in civil war just because it was wrong

00:15:23.760 --> 00:15:27.437
>> what was happening in the south. That
was the primary I'm not like the modern

00:15:27.520 --> 00:15:31.037
way of reading is like
economics. It's like if

00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:35.117
maybe but the primary reason why
Americans fought and died was moral.

00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:39.117
Primary reason why Americans fought
and died in World War II was moral and it

00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:41.517
would they had no tethering. Like when

00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:43.437
you're a soldier from the north dying to

00:15:43.520 --> 00:15:47.597
fight slavery. It's not that you have I

00:15:47.680 --> 00:15:48.957
don't know black relatives and friends.

00:15:49.040 --> 00:15:50.477
It's because you think this is wrong.

00:15:50.560 --> 00:15:53.357
when you were over uh fighting uh the

00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:56.637
Nazis or Imperial Japan, you were doing

00:15:56.720 --> 00:16:01.197
it because you thought America was a
superior way of living and this wasn't

00:16:01.280 --> 00:16:05.837
wrong. Now you can and like and then
whatever one thinks about these things,

00:16:05.920 --> 00:16:09.517
no other culture does this. It's the same
thing of how did we get meritocracy

00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:12.797
until recently in America? Merritocracy

00:16:12.880 --> 00:16:14.957
is a like one of the things that we

00:16:15.040 --> 00:16:16.957
don't often value enough like even now

00:16:17.040 --> 00:16:20.637
in Europe like like in Europe if when we

00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:24.717
I was involved in hiring at uh this
institute I worked at and one of the

00:16:24.800 --> 00:16:29.117
biggest problems was I was always
like of course we need to hire the best

00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:33.917
person that's not the way it works
in Germany or Norway like the best person

00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:38.317
doesn't get hired ever >>
and so like you know like at our

00:16:38.400 --> 00:16:42.637
institutions like at our elite
institutions we embrace meritocracy. We

00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:44.557
embrace the higher good and we fought

00:16:44.640 --> 00:16:48.477
and died for that. Like one of and and

00:16:48.560 --> 00:16:53.357
then the fact that Palunteer can bring
that kind of person home more safely and

00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:57.437
arguably whether people believe this or
not we can you know the primary purpose

00:16:57.520 --> 00:17:01.357
of Palunteer is to be so dominant that
those people don't have to fight and die

00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:05.277
because everyone knows you're going to die
10 times more if you attack America.

00:17:05.360 --> 00:17:08.077
You want to sleep at night. You want
to make sure our soldiers don't have to

00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:11.277
fight and die. make sure the adversary
knows they are gonna get totally effed

00:17:11.360 --> 00:17:13.517
up if they if they screw with us. And

00:17:13.600 --> 00:17:18.397
that's that's like a really noble purpose.
And uh it's not it's not any

00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:21.117
less noble than when we started
the company. In fact, it's more noble.

00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:25.307
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00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:48.637
One thing that was apparent through
the narrative of the book was you're

00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:50.637
self-made, but you're not self-made in

00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:52.557
an economic sense. You're self-made in

00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:55.677
maybe a morals and values sense. So, how

00:19:55.760 --> 00:19:59.837
did you become Alex Cart?

00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:01.597
>> Well, I mean, you know, there's the

00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:04.317
there's all these variables. Very smart

00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:08.957
parents, highly educated, crappy school,
which I never would have done. Like, you

00:20:09.040 --> 00:20:10.717
know, it's like and so you learn like

00:20:10.800 --> 00:20:15.437
the world is violent. um uh dyslexia

00:20:15.520 --> 00:20:18.637
meaning there's no playbook I could
possibly follow. I think so one of the

00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:22.317
reasons why dyslexics are so
outperformant now is that we're in a

00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:25.837
non-playbook world and the playbook's
not that valuable but if you're dyslexic

00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:28.077
you can't you can't follow the playbook

00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:29.917
or only in a third rate way. So you in

00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:36.920
you invent new and generative things. Um I

00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:40.877
>> um I look I've never been accused of

00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:44.317
false ill modesty. I think in the end

00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:48.717
for to do something important whether
it's me or like Elellaniano or look at

00:20:48.800 --> 00:20:52.797
all these people here like these are
among the best and most talented people

00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:54.957
in the world at a certain level of

00:20:55.040 --> 00:20:59.837
accomplishment. you're in an artistic
space where it's very hard to explain

00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:01.837
why you have your insights and it goes

00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:03.997
way beyond experiences that have of

00:21:04.080 --> 00:21:06.957
course also influenced them but like I

00:21:07.040 --> 00:21:11.997
just have artistic impulses and they
shape my life and I've allowed myself or

00:21:12.080 --> 00:21:16.557
I've been forced to allow myself the
freedom to live that way and in there's

00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:18.877
one country in the world where you know

00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:20.717
you get rewarded for that because in

00:21:20.800 --> 00:21:24.957
America if you deliver you can be you

00:21:25.040 --> 00:21:29.437
>> you know like >> you're your own boss,
>> right? You decide who you want to talk

00:21:29.520 --> 00:21:30.637
to, you decide you don't want to talk

00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:32.637
to, you have ideas of things you'd like

00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:36.877
to, you know, advance on. Um, and the I

00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:41.197
think one of the biggest variables in my
life is just simply I live in a culture

00:21:41.280 --> 00:21:42.717
where if you deliver in this case

00:21:42.800 --> 00:21:45.357
economically and by the way 18 I like

00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:48.317
like for most investors we were failing

00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:50.477
for at least 15 years.

00:21:50.560 --> 00:21:53.517
>> Many would say 18 years. Honestly, some

00:21:53.600 --> 00:21:55.917
would say until two years ago, right?

00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:58.717
And still this is a culture where the

00:21:58.800 --> 00:22:02.157
FDA, ontology, superiority of the West,

00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:05.757
extreme meritocracy, the fact that I
would just tell people basically the

00:22:05.840 --> 00:22:10.557
financials are going to show up.
You know, that's only possible in this

00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:14.957
culture. And I guess maybe because I
lived abroad so long, I was it's easier

00:22:15.040 --> 00:22:18.637
for me to accept and rely on that.
I think sometimes people who've lived here

00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:23.037
their whole life don't always exactly
understand you. This is a maximal

00:22:23.120 --> 00:22:27.037
freedom culture. It's the only culture
like this in the world. And it'll allow

00:22:27.120 --> 00:22:30.717
you to self-express. And if you
self-express, that self-expression,

00:22:30.800 --> 00:22:32.637
because it's not playbook, creates an

00:22:32.720 --> 00:22:37.837
environment that is exceedingly hard
to compete with and will piss off all the

00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:41.277
right people.
>> How is a value creation for Palunteer

00:22:41.360 --> 00:22:44.557
different than traditional SAS companies?

00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:47.517
>> Uh well, here. Okay. So well first of

00:22:47.600 --> 00:22:51.597
all it's important to remember we are
value d like we drive our whole business

00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:54.237
based on a set of beliefs that are like

00:22:54.320 --> 00:22:59.197
America superiority and that but but
then interestingly that's tethered to

00:22:59.280 --> 00:23:00.717
the value creation argument you're

00:23:00.800 --> 00:23:03.437
asking which is at the end of the day if

00:23:03.520 --> 00:23:06.397
you believe your client is noble like I

00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:08.957
believe our US government clients are

00:23:09.040 --> 00:23:12.237
not only noble but they're no more noble

00:23:12.320 --> 00:23:14.877
than I am and I'm happy with myself but

00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:16.717
they're doing missions

00:23:16.800 --> 00:23:19.437
that are will change world history for

00:23:19.520 --> 00:23:23.197
the better. Okay. So, if you know that

00:23:23.280 --> 00:23:26.637
the thing that's going to happen
downstream from that is you're going to

00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:29.277
resist building parasitic products,

00:23:29.360 --> 00:23:34.077
right? Because like I don't want
a product that will make me despite what

00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:38.717
anyone but like anyone who's been
a Palanteer will know this to be true. We

00:23:38.800 --> 00:23:43.197
I did we did not the audacity of just
saying we're going to build a product in

00:23:43.280 --> 00:23:45.037
PG that's going to make you safer. Oh,

00:23:45.120 --> 00:23:47.597
let's go away from the ambient noise. Uh

00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:52.317
um that will make you uh safer

00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:57.277
and more protected is audacious
in a weird way that we

00:23:57.360 --> 00:24:00.957
didn't realize. The most audacious part
of that was saying we're going to build

00:24:01.040 --> 00:24:03.037
a product that's actually
what the client needs.

00:24:03.120 --> 00:24:05.197
>> Mhm. >> Cuz what you're
supposed to be doing do

00:24:05.280 --> 00:24:08.877
in software is build the client that
the client gets addicted to, not the one

00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:11.837
they need. And like this is like and

00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:15.597
this is absolutely a truism in in in

00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:18.477
software development of any kind. And so

00:24:18.560 --> 00:24:20.317
the like the again the most radical

00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:24.237
thing we ever did was say yeah client or

00:24:24.320 --> 00:24:27.917
in this case partner that we look up to

00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:30.157
has these needs. We didn't even give

00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:32.237
them what they asked for. We gave them

00:24:32.320 --> 00:24:37.517
what they ought to ask for which again
is very artistic. It's like like any

00:24:37.600 --> 00:24:41.357
rational business would have said, you
know, I don't know, client ABCD wants B.

00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:44.317
At the very least, you just give them
what they want. That's kind of what

00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:49.357
integrators do. And then what very
successful software companies do is say,

00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:52.317
oh, they think they want X. Well,
fake give them X, but we'll give them this

00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:55.037
thing that they can't get rid of. And then
nothing else will work, but they'll

00:24:55.120 --> 00:24:58.237
just have to pay. And then I can
hire 50,000 salespeople and get these

00:24:58.320 --> 00:25:03.037
wonderful economics. And what and then
every single decision like again the FD

00:25:03.120 --> 00:25:07.277
thing, now everyone copies it.
But it was the most radical like you had

00:25:07.360 --> 00:25:09.757
everyone making fun of this for 20 years
because that meant you were going to get

00:25:09.840 --> 00:25:12.957
a a one multiple and but there was no

00:25:13.040 --> 00:25:15.997
way to extend PG like essentially PG you

00:25:16.080 --> 00:25:20.717
can think of PG as like a precursor to AIP
because you have text free text that

00:25:20.800 --> 00:25:25.037
a computer could not understand the NLP
technology was primitive. The only way

00:25:25.120 --> 00:25:27.517
to extend that product to like the

00:25:27.600 --> 00:25:32.077
bounds of technology now was to have
people doing impulse. And then the only

00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:36.717
way to build the next product or deepen
that product was to understand what the

00:25:36.800 --> 00:25:40.157
customer ought to want tomorrow and build
that into the product today. Mhm.

00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:43.517
>> And so like that value creation by the

00:25:43.600 --> 00:25:46.077
way it ends up being very very

00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:48.957
protective because and and then because

00:25:49.040 --> 00:25:52.557
the customer partner actually becomes to

00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:57.597
they may not like you like some of our
best clients globally both in government

00:25:57.680 --> 00:26:01.437
and in commercial we're like I don't
really like these guys. Yeah. But you

00:26:01.520 --> 00:26:05.837
know what? When you bring someone
home safely, they learn to love you.

00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:09.517
>> And so, and then that that allows us
to have this privileged position that we

00:26:09.600 --> 00:26:14.397
now have. And now when we're launching,
you know, when we again there's example,

00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:18.237
the most recent example that people
will be more familiar was with would be

00:26:18.320 --> 00:26:22.797
launching AIP. >> Okay.
When we launched AIP or I launched

00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:26.397
it in like an artistic I don't know
if you know the story, but any case, I

00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:30.797
launched AIP in like the darkness
of night. the darkness of night.

00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:36.077
>> Yeah. Okay. >> Yeah.
Unlike uh pre-Easter holiday because

00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:39.197
>> it would have been massively
resisted and and I would say as one of my

00:26:39.280 --> 00:26:43.357
favorite people said in any other
company every the whole head head of

00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:45.917
whatever part of the product that was
going to be involved in this would have

00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:47.757
quit because it was just launched.

00:26:47.840 --> 00:26:50.397
>> Mhm. >> It completely
artistic like this is

00:26:50.480 --> 00:26:53.757
where the world is going. We have
all the components. We had ontology of

00:26:53.840 --> 00:26:55.837
foundry but the components need to be

00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:59.037
brought together. Okay.

00:26:59.120 --> 00:27:03.677
The the thing is if you're working
back from what will sell, you would have

00:27:03.760 --> 00:27:06.557
said, well, wait a minute, everyone's
saying LLM are going to solve all these

00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:11.917
problems. But I believed and it turns
out that LLMs are commodity products and

00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:14.717
orchestration would be much more
valuable than the product themselves.

00:27:14.800 --> 00:27:18.317
You need both. We need that we need the
LMS. But in reality, and that's part of

00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:21.117
the reason we have these numbers
because turns out we're right.

00:27:21.200 --> 00:27:23.917
>> Yeah. But but like if you were working

00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:26.637
back from what experts think and what

00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:33.240
customers are asking for, you do not
launch that. You launch something else.

00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:39.037
>> Okay. >> You can ask as many
questions as you want. You have

00:27:39.120 --> 00:27:41.117
>> I have one more question.
Says Elellaniano.

00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:44.477
>> Okay. You But you you can

00:27:44.560 --> 00:27:48.397
she's the boss. How many
questions would you like?

00:27:48.480 --> 00:27:51.117
>> 72. >> Okay. [laughter] Okay.

00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:53.357
>> Um, >> why not? Yeah.

00:27:53.440 --> 00:27:55.917
>> So, on AIP, it seemed like that was a

00:27:56.000 --> 00:28:00.717
big pivotal moment for the company
and getting into this next realm of AI,

00:28:00.800 --> 00:28:02.797
which is something in transformation

00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:06.237
that you've embraced fullheartedly

00:28:06.320 --> 00:28:10.237
versus maybe some other people um
to the extent that you go into different

00:28:10.320 --> 00:28:13.277
corporations and then you
make the products for them

00:28:13.360 --> 00:28:16.237
>> on top of our current products
or we build new ones. Yeah, that's true.

00:28:16.320 --> 00:28:20.717
>> Yeah. Would you say that that was a
major component to why sales cycles have

00:28:20.800 --> 00:28:23.997
compressed and why it's
been easier to sell?

00:28:24.080 --> 00:28:28.477
>> You know, it's it's a really good
question. It's it's it it is that, but

00:28:28.560 --> 00:28:32.637
also the zeitgeist has changed.
Like although there have been a lot of

00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:34.877
projects in AI that haven't worked.

00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:38.957
>> Yeah, >> most leaders
in the corporate world and

00:28:39.040 --> 00:28:42.637
government know of projects
that have worked.

00:28:42.720 --> 00:28:44.477
>> Great portion
of those are in Palunteer.

00:28:44.560 --> 00:28:47.357
So in the government there's like
there's a deep understanding the

00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:49.837
government side of like Maven and other

00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:54.397
things uh hive mind and then on the
commercial context we have all these

00:28:54.480 --> 00:28:58.717
very public customers and people begin
to see their unit economics changing and

00:28:58.800 --> 00:29:01.997
particularly important they're able
to change them while being in the public

00:29:02.080 --> 00:29:05.917
sphere so you can do what you had to do
in private by you used to have to buy

00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:09.997
the company take it offline for like 5
years and then scrap the cost and resell

00:29:10.080 --> 00:29:13.277
and then you could do this while
remaining public and there's lots of

00:29:13.360 --> 00:29:16.637
economic advantages to that. Um uh and

00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:21.757
so you can also do it in private context.
But um and so the the the thing

00:29:21.840 --> 00:29:26.797
that you see as a common through line
that in AI on the positive side is it

00:29:26.880 --> 00:29:29.277
used to be no one believed
the software would work. M

00:29:29.360 --> 00:29:30.957
>> now everyone believes
it should work and

00:29:31.040 --> 00:29:34.637
they wonder well if mine isn't working

00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:37.517
>> where can I find something that is and

00:29:37.600 --> 00:29:40.477
more and more and more people especially

00:29:40.560 --> 00:29:44.637
honestly in the US it's not true
in Europe in Europe they're still like it

00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:48.237
doesn't work but hopefully this will
fail because it's all American products

00:29:48.320 --> 00:29:53.277
but in this country people are like I
know this should work I turned on TV and

00:29:53.360 --> 00:29:56.637
there was a someone I know or someone
I've talked to at a conference said yeah

00:29:56.720 --> 00:30:00.957
okay good the the it is a little weird
when they show up, the person showing up

00:30:01.040 --> 00:30:04.317
is going to be carp. That's not
everyone's cup of tea. And someone who's

00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:07.277
like looks

00:30:07.360 --> 00:30:11.117
18 but is actually 25. And and it'll

00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:15.277
work. I mean, I think that's what's like
going around the country. And that means

00:30:15.360 --> 00:30:18.077
both like from introduction to sale,

00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:20.797
it's quicker and as importantly from

00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:24.077
sale to actual output, we have a lot

00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:27.997
more authority. Like we used to basically
get in these enterprises and I

00:30:28.080 --> 00:30:29.837
have to spend half my day explaining to

00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:32.637
people look I know the person down the

00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:37.677
hall is your tech person but they used
to be a school teacher in music. This is

00:30:37.760 --> 00:30:40.957
actual real example. >> Okay. >> Yeah.
And which you know I like the idea

00:30:41.040 --> 00:30:45.437
of a music but it's like and what
they're saying about the tech stack you

00:30:45.520 --> 00:30:48.957
know and then and you could do five
years or you could do at the prime I

00:30:49.040 --> 00:30:51.677
used to say five years versus 9 months.

00:30:51.760 --> 00:30:53.757
Now it's like five years versus three

00:30:53.840 --> 00:30:55.677
months. or two months.

00:30:55.760 --> 00:31:01.437
>> And there's actually much more of a
please just tell us how to do this. Not

00:31:01.520 --> 00:31:04.557
always. >> Yeah. >> And I would
say interestingly, our newer

00:31:04.640 --> 00:31:07.437
partners, customers are much more

00:31:07.520 --> 00:31:09.117
wanting to hear, okay, I know this

00:31:09.200 --> 00:31:11.757
works. It's gone from I'm not sure this

00:31:11.840 --> 00:31:14.717
is works, but my life is on the line in

00:31:14.800 --> 00:31:19.437
commercial and government like five
years ago to I know this I've heard and

00:31:19.520 --> 00:31:22.957
know this will work.
>> How do I do this optimally? Mhm.

00:31:23.040 --> 00:31:27.117
>> And then you know the bottlenecking
we have currently means like you know I

00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:30.797
mean I tell I'm telling governments all
over the world look we're not showing up

00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:33.917
to do a sales call for Maven.

00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:37.677
You know it works. We know it works.

00:31:37.760 --> 00:31:40.637
Show up in my office. Explain to how
explain to us how you're going to make

00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:43.437
this easy for us because we
don't have huge bandwidth.

00:31:43.520 --> 00:31:45.357
>> I mean I'm not talking about
the US government. That's a completely

00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:48.797
different thing there. We will bend over
backwards and do whatever it takes. But

00:31:48.880 --> 00:31:52.397
like allied countries in Europe was like
yeah you know they're like oh we need

00:31:52.480 --> 00:31:56.317
five sales meetings and a PowerPoint
we're like great I can recommend some

00:31:56.400 --> 00:31:58.477
other company it won't work but you'll

00:31:58.560 --> 00:32:03.677
get all the sales reps all that cycle
all the forms everything you want and

00:32:03.760 --> 00:32:06.157
like you know I was just on the I
was the other day talking to a very

00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:10.237
important European uh
leader I was like look

00:32:10.320 --> 00:32:14.637
you have an intel service you have
a military they should evaluate what works

00:32:14.720 --> 00:32:20.157
they're going to tell you this works
nothing else really is you can buy you

00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:23.757
want the thing that doesn't work but
sounds good they'll do lots of meetings

00:32:23.840 --> 00:32:27.517
with you we can't do them >> we
just can't and in commercial it's not

00:32:27.600 --> 00:32:29.677
quite like that in the US but you know

00:32:29.760 --> 00:32:31.997
there's a sense that the demand is

00:32:32.080 --> 00:32:35.197
greater than what we can supply and you

00:32:35.280 --> 00:32:39.037
know and then we want and then we I
was just we were just telling an older

00:32:39.120 --> 00:32:43.277
customer look the way you're doing it
will not allow us to create value we're

00:32:43.360 --> 00:32:47.197
not a normal software company if you're
not creating value how are we going

00:32:47.280 --> 00:32:49.757
going to get paid. >> Yeah.
>> And by the way, you're going to want to

00:32:49.840 --> 00:32:53.037
get rid of us at some point. So
the whole thing makes no sense. Like we're

00:32:53.120 --> 00:32:54.637
not selling you sake dinner. We're not

00:32:54.720 --> 00:32:57.037
selling you our charm. We're selling you

00:32:57.120 --> 00:33:00.317
significant value creation in a in

00:33:00.400 --> 00:33:04.237
ridiculously short times of period
and value creation on top end and buying

00:33:04.320 --> 00:33:08.237
like basically you know and and then
another thing by the way I tell people

00:33:08.320 --> 00:33:12.237
is you know all the time it's like look
I get to have an opinion because of our

00:33:12.320 --> 00:33:15.597
financials. Do you want
to have an opinion again?

00:33:15.680 --> 00:33:19.437
You got to have financials like this.
A lot of people want to be able to have an

00:33:19.520 --> 00:33:21.437
opinion again in public.

00:33:21.520 --> 00:33:24.477
>> You have VC returns
for retail investors

00:33:24.560 --> 00:33:26.877
and now you're having PE outcomes for

00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:30.637
large companies. What's next?

00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:33.437
>> Just being very very focused on the US

00:33:33.520 --> 00:33:38.077
growing the US growing the quality of
the UX. There's a lot more interestingly

00:33:38.160 --> 00:33:41.037
when we're talking externally of course
people want to know the financial

00:33:41.120 --> 00:33:44.077
metrics you know like these rule of 114

00:33:44.160 --> 00:33:45.757
the 70 all these things that are crazy

00:33:45.840 --> 00:33:51.197
valuable but internally it's like really
back to the like how do we make sure

00:33:51.280 --> 00:33:54.957
this implementation is the best how do
we make sure the product is is advancing

00:33:55.040 --> 00:33:58.557
how do we make sure we're building
the products of tomorrow how are we in the

00:33:58.640 --> 00:34:03.037
US government closest to the the
the things that will give America a

00:34:03.120 --> 00:34:06.397
strategic advantage just
not just now but for decades

00:34:06.480 --> 00:34:09.437
Uh, how do we on the commercial side?

00:34:09.520 --> 00:34:13.277
How do we make sure that the um Oh,
it's just palenteer. People are roving

00:34:13.360 --> 00:34:17.677
around. No hierarchy. This is just this
the Palunteer thing. They're like, "What

00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:21.917
are you doing here? Get out.
I'm working. I have no time. CEO, move out

00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:24.477
of the way." Yeah. This the other thing

00:34:24.560 --> 00:34:27.037
of Palunteer. You know, we have we value

00:34:27.120 --> 00:34:29.757
our work. Like he can have any opinion

00:34:29.840 --> 00:34:34.397
he wants. He can come in here and like
do it. So, you you you get to you

00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:36.717
perform here.
You get to be you, not just me.

00:34:36.800 --> 00:34:40.637
>> Um, you know, this concept
of worker available GDP.

00:34:40.720 --> 00:34:42.717
>> Yeah. >> You know,
you're going to participate in

00:34:42.800 --> 00:34:45.917
the AI revolution. He's going
to participate in the AI revolution. We're

00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:51.037
building it here. >> The the person
on the factory floor right now,

00:34:51.120 --> 00:34:53.357
>> okay, >> wonders,
are we going to get rich and

00:34:53.440 --> 00:34:57.677
are they going to get poor? And is
that we that that will not work for our

00:34:57.760 --> 00:35:01.197
society. >> Yeah. No. So,
what's Palanteer's role in

00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:06.317
re-industrialization?
making sure worker workers I mean first

00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:08.637
of all there's like how do you
manufacture at scale how do you

00:35:08.720 --> 00:35:12.477
manufacture in addition this way how do
you bring how do you if you bring let's

00:35:12.560 --> 00:35:15.517
say you bring um Japanese Taiwanese

00:35:15.600 --> 00:35:20.077
Korean uh manufacturing to America
the interesting thing people always think

00:35:20.160 --> 00:35:24.157
manufacturing is manufacturing you
actually have to manufacture their

00:35:24.240 --> 00:35:26.317
building the way you would do it in

00:35:26.400 --> 00:35:31.517
those countries because that's how then
you have to scale American workers so

00:35:31.600 --> 00:35:35.517
like for example we have American
workers working at factories like

00:35:35.600 --> 00:35:38.077
Japanese factories especially and like

00:35:38.160 --> 00:35:40.397
they're American workers they're not

00:35:40.480 --> 00:35:43.437
Japanese workers but we can get we can

00:35:43.520 --> 00:35:48.397
use foundry ontology to bring out
the advantages of American worker and give

00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:51.677
them the capacity to roughly
work like a Japanese engineer

00:35:51.760 --> 00:35:55.997
>> and so like and and honestly at this
point we're really just showing rather

00:35:56.080 --> 00:35:59.677
than telling because you really have
to show people the narrative working and

00:35:59.760 --> 00:36:01.517
now in the US military that's going gang

00:36:01.600 --> 00:36:03.997
busters because most of the people who

00:36:04.080 --> 00:36:06.877
actually do the work are domain

00:36:06.960 --> 00:36:09.997
expertise specific individuals

00:36:10.080 --> 00:36:13.197
and they're seeing oh wow I can like

00:36:13.280 --> 00:36:15.917
like in special operations

00:36:16.000 --> 00:36:18.397
>> as an example people using our product

00:36:18.480 --> 00:36:20.877
are using our product yeah it's not like

00:36:20.960 --> 00:36:24.237
there's not the like highly elite uh

00:36:24.320 --> 00:36:28.477
Yale grad I think he actually
is a Yale grad something like that

00:36:28.560 --> 00:36:33.197
>> yeah something here we have like
even more elite Like we have the person

00:36:33.280 --> 00:36:36.797
creating the real value is someone who
joined the military and they are just

00:36:36.880 --> 00:36:39.917
crushing it.
>> We have some fun questions.

00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:41.917
>> Okay. Great. >> Okay.
I saved some fun ones.

00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:45.037
>> Okay. >> So, there was a
heartwarming part in this book.

00:36:45.120 --> 00:36:50.797
>> Yeah. >> I wasn't expecting it.
Um there was a point in time in

00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:51.997
>> Not my social life.

00:36:52.080 --> 00:36:55.437
>> No. Well, your family life.

00:36:55.520 --> 00:36:58.317
>> So, can you tell me about Rosita?

00:36:58.400 --> 00:37:02.237
>> Yeah. Um so uh when
my parents there's a

00:37:02.320 --> 00:37:05.357
phase where my parents it was like the

00:37:05.440 --> 00:37:09.917
the the thing is when you are outside
the norm and in a family there's a

00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:11.517
warmth in the family. >> Yeah.

00:37:11.600 --> 00:37:15.677
>> So it's like like if you're like
our family like total freak show in all

00:37:15.760 --> 00:37:19.597
variables. So the outside is kind
of like the freak show. I'm sure when my

00:37:19.680 --> 00:37:23.917
parents came over people had to be
warned kind of thing. [laughter] Uh and

00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:28.317
like you know you may not be okay with
this setup. And then but on the inside

00:37:28.400 --> 00:37:30.717
because of that it was an exceedingly

00:37:30.800 --> 00:37:34.237
intellectual vibrant warm environment.

00:37:34.320 --> 00:37:37.357
And then when we we when I was a little

00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:42.557
kid and we had moved we had moved from
New York uh an incredible city which is

00:37:42.640 --> 00:37:46.077
largely was about to get the most
horrifically in all likelihood

00:37:46.160 --> 00:37:49.037
ridiculous mayor. Um uh more than you

00:37:49.120 --> 00:37:51.677
want to hear from me. Um my parents

00:37:51.760 --> 00:37:56.317
decided to get a dog. Obviously we
wanted it. So if you're like in my

00:37:56.400 --> 00:37:58.557
family background, of course, the only
place you're going to get a dog is in

00:37:58.640 --> 00:38:02.557
the pound because that, you know,
you wouldn't get a fancy and a dog of

00:38:02.640 --> 00:38:06.397
course, you know. So we went there
and we went and then we come to the pound

00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:10.397
and the I even like in my mind's eye
remembering it, but it might just be

00:38:10.480 --> 00:38:14.237
I've heard the story a thousand times,
but you know, uh and then there's this

00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:19.517
dog that is and the person screaming,
I hate this dog. I hate this dog. Uh and

00:38:19.600 --> 00:38:22.877
then my mom said, well, why do you hate
the dog? And it's like because the dog

00:38:22.960 --> 00:38:25.837
there's a lock that you know a human
could understand but a dog shouldn't be

00:38:25.920 --> 00:38:27.597
able to. And Rosita was breaking out of

00:38:27.680 --> 00:38:33.117
the lock. And then Rosita that's not why
she they the like the warden in you know

00:38:33.200 --> 00:38:35.517
it's basically a warden of death because
they're like they were going to put her

00:38:35.600 --> 00:38:39.117
to sleep the next day. >> And uh
the ward's like I can't wait till

00:38:39.200 --> 00:38:42.557
tomorrow. We're going to put they became
Rosita to sleep. And my mom's like well

00:38:42.640 --> 00:38:45.037
why do you hate the other? She's like
well he's breaking out all the time.

00:38:45.120 --> 00:38:48.797
She's breaking out all the time. M said
well okay that's one thing. And even

00:38:48.880 --> 00:38:51.677
worse than that, Rosita would go back
and break open the other locks for other

00:38:51.760 --> 00:38:56.317
people. >> Yeah. [laughter] And then
my mom was like, "That's our dog."

00:38:56.400 --> 00:38:58.317
>> And >> And then Yeah.
And so that's And then

00:38:58.400 --> 00:39:03.357
Rosita played a a tremendous role in our
life. It was more like she's very very

00:39:03.440 --> 00:39:05.197
high IQ. Like it was honestly more like

00:39:05.280 --> 00:39:10.397
a human like than a dog.
>> And uh Yeah. And uh yeah,

00:39:10.480 --> 00:39:14.637
>> that's Rosita. >> And later
on you exumed Rosita's room.

00:39:14.720 --> 00:39:17.197
>> Yeah. There's a lot in the book I
probably wouldn't have told, but like

00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:20.477
Yeah. So one of the crazy things about

00:39:20.560 --> 00:39:24.557
having resources is you can do things
that mean a lot to you that you know. So

00:39:24.640 --> 00:39:28.397
I through all sorts of ways got in touch
with the person who bought the house

00:39:28.480 --> 00:39:30.717
that was force sold during the divorce.

00:39:30.800 --> 00:39:33.997
Uh and person was very generous and for

00:39:34.080 --> 00:39:36.557
lots of reasons agreed to have me exume

00:39:36.640 --> 00:39:40.157
their whole yard. And then I took uh

00:39:40.240 --> 00:39:43.597
Rosita and now I'm uh yeah I have her a

00:39:43.680 --> 00:39:47.997
burial site near my house. >> That's
really sweet. Rosita was the best.

00:39:48.080 --> 00:39:52.317
>> Really? >> No. >> Okay.
Well, if you were a cupcake, what

00:39:52.400 --> 00:39:54.637
kind of cupcake would you be? >> I
don't want to be a cupcake cuz I don't

00:39:54.720 --> 00:39:58.077
want to get eaten.
I'm resisting becoming a cupcake. But

00:39:58.160 --> 00:39:59.117
>> what's your favorite cupcake?

00:39:59.200 --> 00:40:01.037
>> Apparently in No, I actually don't eat

00:40:01.120 --> 00:40:06.237
them that, but I actually recently in DC
there's these very fancy I just It all

00:40:06.320 --> 00:40:08.557
comes down to the icing.
>> It's just the icing.

00:40:08.640 --> 00:40:10.157
>> I don't know why
people eat the cupcake.

00:40:10.240 --> 00:40:12.557
It's just the icing. >> Makes no sense.
Yeah, it makes no sense.

00:40:12.640 --> 00:40:15.677
Why even have it there? >> Well,
no, you have it. There's like a I

00:40:15.760 --> 00:40:19.757
don't know the same way you have. Well,
yeah. You have like a vehicle for for

00:40:19.840 --> 00:40:23.117
the coffee. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So,
it comes down like there's really I

00:40:23.200 --> 00:40:27.357
mean a lot of places have good cupcakes,
but very few people have great cupcakes.

00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:31.357
>> Okay. Well, before we head too far back
into the office, thank you so much, Alex.

00:40:31.440 --> 00:40:33.917
>> Thank you. Very nice.
Very nice to meet you.

00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:37.277
>> Hey, it's Molly. If you enjoy
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