# Alex Karp: How Palantir is Changing the Course of History *Joe Lonsdale* ยท https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmwOhQYcCug ## Summary Alex Karp, speaking with Joe Lonsdale, reflects on Palantir's 20-year arc from being seen as a 'freak show' to gaining recognition for its impact on Western defense. He notes that much of Palantir's work, including stopping major attacks, remains classified and cannot be publicized. He argues that America leads the world in enterprise software and that adversaries who focus on hurting the US ultimately galvanize American talent and unity. ## Key points - Twenty years ago Palantir's views were seen as bizarre, but the world has since moved closer to their positions. - Karp believes software companies should be aligned with the US government and not sell to adversaries. - Palantir helped stop major attacks that were never made public, and much of its work can never be publicized. - Karp claims that without Palantir, Europe would be completely different politically, and the US might be as well. - He suggests current cultural wars might not be happening if there had been multiple successful attacks on America. - America is by far the best at enterprise software and continues to attract and retain the world's best talent. - Adversaries focused on hurting the US galvanize America and help it look past internal divisions. ## Notes ### From 'Freak Show' to Recognition - Karp recalls that 20 years ago Palantir's positions seemed like they were "from Mars" and were dismissed. - He predicted the West must defend itself, that software companies should align with the US government, and that institutions should not sell software to adversaries while refusing the US government. - He also predicted startups would grow to enormous market caps and that software companies like Palantir would change the course of history, including in classified ways. - Adversaries "acting up" was, in his view, necessary for people to finally believe Palantir's thesis. ### Classified Impact - Lonsdale notes it was interesting to know Palantir had stopped major attacks that were not public while people thought the company was just weird. - Karp wishes some of this work were better known, both for Palantir employees and for institutions like the military and clandestine services, which would receive more public support. - He acknowledges there are good reasons these things cannot be discussed. - Karp states plainly that without Palantir, Europe would be completely different politically, and possibly the US as well. - He speculates that the current cultural wars might not be the battles America would be having if multiple successful attacks had occurred, calling some modern dialogues a "luxury product." ### American Optimism - Asked what innovations give him hope, Karp says America is by far the best at enterprise software, a fact visible even before AI and large language models. - The US attracts and retains the best talent in the world and has cultural systems for turning that talent into productive companies. - Adversaries focused on hurting America galvanize the country, helping it look past divisions, unify, and leave adversaries scared of rule of law, free speech, property protection, and respect for humans as basic rights. ## Transcript [00:00] 20 years ago this was like from Mars freak show all these views. The west must defend itself. The in the best the people producing this thing called software must be aligned with our government. We should not allow institutions software institutions to sell to our adversaries but not sell to the US government. Uh the world would become disjointed and more violent. uh simultaneously uh startups would rise and become a very large in terms of market cap and and footprint and that these software companies Palanteer and I hope others someday will change the course of history as you've as you've seen and and are in ways that no one believes or or some ways that are classified um and that um but simultaneously and that you [00:45] can conver get people to believe by seeing the success and the impact And last not least, and our adversaries would completely act up because without them acting up, I still think people would not believe us. We've come closer to the norm. >> Yeah. >> And so like now all these things are like you walk around and people are I don't think everyone's saying it believes it, but they are beginning and and you know and that that's that's kind of very gratifying. Um, and it's probably good that they've forgotten that they all called us 20 years ago. It >> it was really interesting to live knowing obviously Palanteer had helped stop some really major attacks that were not public and people just thought we [01:26] were weird and didn't appreciate it. And so it's you're finally getting some public appreciation I guess after maybe not for everything we've done but for some of the new things. A lot of the things we've done we've done can never be publicized. And I do I do I do in some ways wish they were more wellknown both for Palunteerians and because these institutions that you know I rever like um our military institutions and others would would get even more support if people understood the impact they were having in clandestine services positive impact. Now there are reasons they can't talk about these things and probably shouldn't. It has changed from we are like essentially the X-Men in a very deep cave and uh and then being shuffled [02:09] back into the cave and told you know and but there's still a lot of that like I you know I I always get in trouble for saying the obvious fact that besid with without PG Europe would be completely different politically. >> Oh yeah >> and this is just just a fact. >> I think I think US might be as well. We probably shouldn't talk too much about this because you don't see as a big of a problem. But I mean, I think a lot of the battles we're having that are cultural wars right now over things might not be the battles we'd be having if there had been multiple successful attacks, right? I think the culture would have transformed in a very different direction. Yes, the America is there was there's a lot that has gone [02:44] into the the the the some of the luxuries we have including certain uh dialogues that are clearly um luxury product. >> So Alex, we started American Optimist to push back against cynicism and pessimism you see in a lot of parts of our country. Uh what innovations and breakthroughs make you most excited about the next 20 years? What what gives you hope for the next next few decades? America is by far the best at enterprise software. You see this, you saw this before AI and large language models. I think at this point it's kind of hard to ignore. We have we continue to attract and retain the best talent in the world. We have cultural and cultural systems for managing that talent and turning that into productive companies like some [03:25] of the ones you support in finance and I would say most notably Palunteer. Um and um I think a lot of the kind of uh and then we have uh there's a way in which uh our adversaries who are really focused on hurting us galvanize and bring the best out of America and allow us in many cases to look past divisions that are quite obviously less important than us unifying uh to outmaneuver and be stronger than our adversaries and leave them so scared that they act up less and quiver at uh the idea that uh rule of law, free speech, protecting protection of property and in general respect of humans is a basic human right.