WEBVTT

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We were the freak show.
And we spent 20 years for [music] this

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moment. We're doing it.

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We're doing it. And I'm sure you're

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enjoying this as much as I am.

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I just got three things to say.

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God bless our troops. God bless America.

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We are the power that actually has the

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decisive vote. And that is with military

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superiority. If Silicon Valley believes

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we are going to take away
everyone's white-collar job, you're

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The most important [music] thing

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Palantir is doing is to make sure that

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American warfighters are much more

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likely to come home. If we are going to

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outperform the rest of the world,
our single advantage is

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>> Dr. Karp, it is a pleasure to finally
have the OG American Dynamism founder on

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stage with us at the fourth annual summit.

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Um, I think gosh, if we had had
this >> Like that. [laughter]

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>> Yes. Um, I think if we had had >> I
shouldn't get that there's a gang sign.

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>> [laughter] >> No, I I I think
we all got the the reference.

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>> Mati is in the audience.
He >> [laughter]

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>> He doesn't get out much.
He's like, "Huh? What is that?"

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>> Uh, this is a great great conversation.

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So I think uh if we had had
this conversation 72 hours

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ago, it would have been very different.

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Um, but of course there's been a lot of
news and so I want to get straight to to

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the news and what's happening [snorts]
in the world um because Palantir is

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certainly um part of that story. So over

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the weekend uh the US and Israel bombed

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Iran in Operation Epic Fury. Ayatollah
Khamenei is dead. The Middle East is now

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at war. What do you
think the situation means

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for the future of the West, something
you talk a lot about, and the future of

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America. >> Well, first of all, I'm
delighted to be on stage with you, and um

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you know, for many of you in this
audience, by the way, I'm I've been

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talking so much, I'm kind of losing
my voice, but I didn't I I would have

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probably canceled on anyone but you, but

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>> Well, well, that that means
a lot. We're glad you're here.

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>> [laughter] >> Yeah,
I love to cancel, by the way, for

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those of you, cuz I guess it's
my favorite thing, cuz I I actually am an

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introvert. Any excuse to cancel, as as

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libertarians know, it's uh yeah.
Um but yeah, you've been such a

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force um

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in public and behind the scenes for,

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you know, I think helping people in the

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broadly speaking defense tech, or let

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America wins, or things that
are good, uh broadly defined,

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um and then we also align on something

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we could talk about later on, like
the importance of not putting our youth in

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straightjackets because they're
divergent neurologically, which is a

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passion of of mine, and should be a

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passion of everyone's, since you could

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define our wonderful and great country
uh as a country where everyone who was

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divergent in ideology, thought,

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religion, or quite frankly, like uh

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uh neurologically, came to this country
to have a better place where they could

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express their freedom, and had the right
to A, express what they thought, which

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and there's a deep link between
expressing what you think

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publicly and privately, first and fourth
amendment, and being able to think it,

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and if that doesn't work, being able to

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defend it with the second amendment. Uh

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and uh the and last not least, our our

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founders founders uh uh did
not structure these rights the

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way they are in, say, where I lived for

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a lot of my life in Germany, as rights
granted to us by other bureaucrats.

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We they're given to us, they're
inalienable from a higher being.

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Uh and uh I would just say, before I get

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into uh how the world's changed,

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we have American war fighters on the

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battlefield uh willing
to sacrifice their lives

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uh some of whom have sacrificed their
lives. They have families and kids. So,

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the kids and families don't know if
their loved ones are coming home and uh

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you know, we uh I know in this room, but

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we should publicly, privately support

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them and people who are not aware or

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somehow so effing spoiled that they

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don't realize what these people do for us,
we should publicly humiliate them.

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Uh and everyone has a role in that. Uh

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um and especially those of us who are

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riding a crest

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of of of intergenerational, cultural,

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intellectual courage advantage, which it

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which it is to be an American nowadays,
uh should not obviously should not

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forget uh the war fighter,
who are disproportionately

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uh from uh the middle of our our country

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and disproportionately
have gotten screwed uh

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and uh you know, I'm proud uh

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very proud that at Palantir

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uh you know, we we get arrows and people
I mean, half the people attacking us,

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it'd be good if they spent 2 minutes
on Wikipedia at least learning the talking

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points they're regurgitating. But but um
you know, there's some legitimate

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criticisms

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uh of any company and but

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at the end of the day, the fact is the
most important thing Palantir is doing

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and that I other people in this room
are doing and people like you and other

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people

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adjacent or ancillary to building uh uh

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more lethal and deadly weapons

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is to make sure that American war

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fighters uh are much
more likely to come home.

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And quite frankly, the people
who are trying to harm them

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uh know that they won't be coming home.

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And that's the way you stop people from

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attacking us, in my opinion. And then,

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on the [clears throat] the kind of um

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the leading up to what's going on, but I

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think that there are probably people in

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this room who are wildly supportive,

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uh and there are people who aren't.

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It is hard to deny

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that America is exerting a deterrent

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capability that was eviscerated.

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You you can like or not like. That's

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different than ignoring we now have a

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deterrent capability that no other

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country appears to have. And that is for

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all for lots of reasons, and obviously
uh the warfighter, people organize the

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warfighter, the generals,
the leadership, the president.

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But one advantage that often gets

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overlooked in it for reasons that make

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no sense is warfighting is technology.

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You know, I I spent half
my life in in Germany

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for familiar reasons,
and then I wrote my PhD there.

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It it the and then the rise of America

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after World War II, the reason America
was able to win World War II were

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technological advantages.
And if you look what happened in, you

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know, Operation Midnight Hammer, what

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happened in Venezuela, what's so far

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happening uh uh in in in in Iran,

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you see one society just totally

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dominating. That's our society. Now, you

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could get into I I would ex- I I I'm
in always in fights with my intellectual

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friends about They're They're like, "But
wouldn't it be better to have a rule a a

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a law-based system where everyone is

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equal?" Yeah, sure, in theory. But in

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this world, it's us or China or Russia.

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>> Yeah. >> And I don't
know how you guys feel about

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those decisions, but I think we're doing
I literally believe we're doing the work

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of higher a higher purpose by making
sure and not just for America, but for

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the whole world that we

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are the power that actually has the

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decisive vote. And there is only one way

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to do that, and that is with military
superiority. And when I say military

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superiority, I don't mean that we're
arguing on a PowerPoint. It means

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But America so now you get to what
is technology done. Now again, I think

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whenever people like me are talking
about this it you can't say enough that

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it's the warfighter and their courage
and I'm not doing that. I'm sitting here.

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Um And you know, and I'm not and we have

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Palantirians all over on like I'm
talking to them constantly. So they're

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doing they're putting themselves
in harm's way and you know, um uh

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I'm I am kind of but not directly. It's
mostly all the people who yell at me and

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I guess maybe there are some people
want to shoot at me, but um it

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the the

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if you look at the rise of like

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in the in lifetime of Palantir, there's

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been the rise of software which
essentially meant meant your you know,

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software company that is supplying a

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steak dinner is obviously parasitic is

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not cutting it. That kind of those
those companies are being eviscerated.

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You the rise of defense tech and now you

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have a hybrid software hardware AI

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where you really need all three.
Um uh interestingly from an investment

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perspective, um you know,
I would say the last company

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standing before we all have to salute
the overlord of the LM will be Palantir,

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but it's mainly [laughter] >> We're
going to get into that. I promise.

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>> mainly because um

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you you the the it's it's the specificity
of and the security and the

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orchestration. But,
none of that has to make any sense

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to anyone in this room. I'll tell you
what, it makes a lot of sense to our

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adversaries right now.

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How is America doing this? Now, again,

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it's specialized ways, it's 25, 30 years

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of experience in fighting,
it's meritocracy, the Department of War is

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the most meritocratic environment.
It integrated in Korea before our society

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did. Uh it's it it is the
most popular institution

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and most revered institution, and probably
the only institution in America

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that is actually revered by the American
people across every demographic. And

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it's revered by the American people
across every demographic precisely

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because it's been meritocratic. It If

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you were a black American, uh you got

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your break in America by going to the
military. If you wanted to be treated

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fairly, uh and you were from a group
that you felt that every demographic has

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somebody who is in the
military, whose life was

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changed, and it did something noble
and wonderful for America. They also have

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the experience of coming home
in America not sticking up for them.

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We should change that.
Now, you get to Silicon Valley.

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Uh my one message for And again, I I

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don't I'm without getting in specific

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people or cuz I'm like

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if Silicon Valley believes we are going

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to take away everyone's white-collar

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job, meaning primarily democratic

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shaped uh people that whom I grew up with,

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highly educated people who went to elite
schools or went to schools that are

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almost elite, who vote for one party.

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And you're going to screw the military.

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If you don't think that's going to lead
to nationalization of our technology,

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you're And you might be particularly

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cuz you have a 160 IQ. But, it's you

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This is where that path is going. Like

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>> you cannot have technologies that

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simultaneously take away everyone's job

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and then be perceived Again, there's
a lot of subtlety here behind behind the

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curtain. I've been heavily involved
in that subtlety. What can be where it can

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be deployed, what can be deployed.

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There's a difference between US military
and surveillance and despite what

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everyone thinks Palantir is the
anti-surveillance company. I know your

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personal online things that's not true
but every technical expert does so I end

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up in every conversation that I don't

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want to be in but

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the the danger for our industry is that

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America you get a you get a famous
horseshoe effect where there's only one

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thing people agree on and that's that
this is not paying the bills and people

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and our industry should be nationalized.

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And And so the the the societal benefit

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that is going on in Iran besides the

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fact that I think I suspect the Iranian

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people feel like finally someone's on my
side and it wasn't the Berkeley faculty

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that was supposed to like me.

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Uh [laughter] it it's uh um

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a big lesson for you. Yeah, it's so um

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and but then as America we and the

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people who are prominent in the tech

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industry, you know, we have to find a

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way to make sure that we're not just

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popular in Palo Alto. >> Yeah.
I I want to get back to something

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you just said which is that you know,
that it's it's either us winning or China

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winning or Russia winning or another
country that it's a zero-sum game and it

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feels like the people in this room
in Washington really understand that AI is

00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:14.477
zero-sum but that Silicon Valley doesn't.
Silicon Valley doesn't like to

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think in terms of zero-sum. They like
to think that everything is a positive-sum

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game. So how would you explain to the
people in Silicon Valley who are again

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building the LLMs, you know, building um
what what they would say is a brand new

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net new technology that hasn't existed
before and therefore it needs to be

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treated differently. What would
you say to them about this new

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>> Well, I mean there's so first of all
it's it's By the way, I just want to

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push back slightly. They do think it's
zero-sum and they think it's zero-sum

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versus each other.
So like they absolutely are fighting.

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There will be like it you know, it's
my own rhetoric but I happen to think it's

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true. It's going to be chips, ontology
and I suspect in the end one one and a

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half provider. So they pretend they
don't think it's zero-sum but then ask

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them how they feel about their competitor.

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>> Yeah, that's true.
>> very very I mean these people are

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fighting very very hard for the dominant
position. So like what they don't

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understand is in the world it's

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zero-sum. But I I actually think the

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primary issue in the valley is it's

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going to be zero-sum vis-a-vis you when

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America decides that look okay, I have
a I I interact with a lot of political

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figures. I have a lot of respect.
I think and some are

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When politicians figure out this is
the one winning issue, it is going to be

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zero-sum. It's going to be your money

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and your company being zero-sum
nationalized. So that's the part they

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don't understand.

00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:32.557
Helping people understand that you know,

00:14:32.640 --> 00:14:37.397
either we set the rules or de
facto like I'm I'm much more

00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:42.157
I'm much more on America should be strong
so that we don't have to worry about the

00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:44.157
enemies than our enemies are evil kind

00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:46.477
of thing. So I'm not super neocon. It

00:14:46.560 --> 00:14:49.597
seems to be very hard in this culture as

00:14:49.680 --> 00:14:53.757
someone who's lived abroad a lot of my
life. It's very hard in this culture to

00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:55.557
explain to people that we're in a

00:14:55.640 --> 00:14:58.437
competitive environment because things

00:14:58.520 --> 00:15:01.197
here are so good they don't understand

00:15:01.280 --> 00:15:04.157
how different it will be and how much we

00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:08.557
will change and how much the pressure
will be on America not just legally but

00:15:08.640 --> 00:15:12.757
militarily and culturally
if we fall behind. And I

00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:15.557
one of the things that again, it's So I

00:15:15.640 --> 00:15:20.837
I personally think the better
way to get people to change is to

00:15:20.920 --> 00:15:25.637
Okay, go bring people
like that to Iowa. Bring

00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:29.837
them to DC and explain
to our American political

00:15:29.920 --> 00:15:34.077
leadership why you make a hundred
million dollars and why a soldier from

00:15:34.160 --> 00:15:38.717
Iowa can't explain to his wife he has
the best technology. And then go across

00:15:38.800 --> 00:15:42.077
the hall, so let's classically
Republican shape, then go across the

00:15:42.160 --> 00:15:44.877
hall and talk to progressive Democrats

00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:49.197
about how every one of their
constituencies not going to have a job.

00:15:49.280 --> 00:15:52.717
And then leave and imagine what's going
to happen to you. You know, the funny

00:15:52.800 --> 00:15:56.637
thing about those of us who spent most
of our life abroad, like in Germany,

00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:58.957
which is a phenomenal culture,

00:15:59.040 --> 00:16:00.677
we have a much better sense of how

00:16:00.760 --> 00:16:04.357
fragile this experiment is, America. It

00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.397
could go wrong. And it will go wrong if

00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:11.677
if all wealth is going to a small number
of people and those people do not appear

00:16:11.760 --> 00:16:16.357
to be on side. Now, that perception
might is obviously a caricature. It is a

00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:19.677
caricature in the sense this is new
technology and you're not going to be

00:16:19.760 --> 00:16:23.797
able to use the same kind
of framework and you're going to need

00:16:23.880 --> 00:16:27.477
people who appreciate how it's different.
And there are real questions

00:16:27.560 --> 00:16:31.837
about Fourth Amendment protections, like
our right to privacy. What is privacy in

00:16:31.920 --> 00:16:35.037
a world where you can impute what
someone's doing at home through

00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:38.917
technology? How how do you protect our
right to have our own thoughts, our own

00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:41.557
ideas, our own practices at home, our

00:16:41.640 --> 00:16:46.037
own health records?
That those are real issues when the

00:16:46.120 --> 00:16:50.397
technology can also help you
to be healthier, live longer,

00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:53.277
uh have a higher economic status,
potentially, certainly if you're a

00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:55.717
vocational worker. But so those issues

00:16:55.800 --> 00:16:57.757
have to be unpacked and where Silicon

00:16:57.840 --> 00:17:00.717
Valley is right is you you're going to

00:17:00.800 --> 00:17:05.157
need a forum to talk about
that that doesn't pretend,

00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:08.597
you know, a large language
model is the same thing as

00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:11.877
machine learning is the same thing
as software is the same thing as a bullet.

00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:13.437
They're they're not.

00:17:13.520 --> 00:17:18.477
Um uh but um but but but but de facto I

00:17:18.560 --> 00:17:21.837
I very much believe uh

00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:26.077
as a critique of the uh like uh economic

00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:30.397
elite especially in in the technical area,
there's there's like uh to use an

00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:34.757
economic a a kind of uh overly
economic uh a philosophical

00:17:34.840 --> 00:17:38.357
term, they reify, meaning
they turn it into a thing.

00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:41.117
Our rights, but those rights, you know,

00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:45.717
when I was in Germany, I I was there
and there were I spent a lot of time

00:17:45.800 --> 00:17:49.157
I did a PhD. Uh but I you
know, there were a lot of

00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:52.997
older Germans and I I would spend time
with them uh in the countryside. In the

00:17:53.080 --> 00:17:55.877
city, of course, they they didn't
know anybody who was a Nazi. In the

00:17:55.960 --> 00:17:59.317
countryside, they're like, "We're all
Nazis." So, I would ask them. But the

00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:01.957
one of the more fascinating
conversations is why they became

00:18:02.040 --> 00:18:04.757
Democrats or not like left-right, but

00:18:04.840 --> 00:18:07.157
capital D. And it was always because it

00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:09.917
worked. And then the unwinding of it

00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:14.997
that we don't ask if it unwinds,
you know, our it will not we will not be

00:18:15.080 --> 00:18:19.837
protected. And it it's
just the dialogue we have

00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:23.677
currently is not acknowledging what's
going to happen politically, what is

00:18:23.760 --> 00:18:27.597
happening politically. You know,
the wealth tax is a derivative of this

00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:30.757
because everyone knows the wealth tax
isn't going to help the poor, it's just

00:18:30.840 --> 00:18:34.397
going to the rich.
And that's enough to get it done.

00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:38.517
And if if that's happening, just imagine
what's going to happen when it's like

00:18:38.600 --> 00:18:42.597
there's going to be 50 unlikable
people with all the money.

00:18:42.680 --> 00:18:46.197
>> [laughter] >> Anybody here like that?
And you guys are doing well.

00:18:46.280 --> 00:18:51.757
>> Yep. No, I I I I want to get back to
to kind of the conversation about how um

00:18:51.840 --> 00:18:55.077
how we ensure that the Department of War
continues to lead on AI because I think

00:18:55.160 --> 00:18:59.317
this has been top of mind for everyone
in the room for the last 48 hours.

00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:02.797
Um our adversaries are looking at,
you know, contracting wars um that are

00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:06.197
playing out in press releases. You know,
what is your view on how we can ensure

00:19:06.280 --> 00:19:10.717
that we win this AI race against the PRC?
If you if you're giving advice to

00:19:10.800 --> 00:19:14.837
all the founders and CEOs of of you
know the the the all our companies.

00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:17.397
>> part of what I'm doing and part what
part of the reason I'm here besides your

00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:21.117
charm and importance what part
of the reason I'm here is uh

00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:24.997
I want My reputation
in the valley every you

00:19:25.080 --> 00:19:28.837
always have reputations. My reputation
which I'm not even saying the reputation

00:19:28.920 --> 00:19:31.997
is true. But in my case like I'm viewed

00:19:32.080 --> 00:19:36.677
as the batshit crazy guy who is often
telling you something you don't want to

00:19:36.760 --> 00:19:41.117
hear and you may not like
but is probably right.

00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:44.167
And >> That's true. >> So Yeah.

00:19:44.250 --> 00:19:47.117
>> [laughter] >> And that's
why I want you to send this

00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:52.077
first step we have to they're not
understanding mistakes. And what I

00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:56.357
nothing's going to happen till people
understand mistakes. This will affect you.

00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:58.797
Now then the question is like what

00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:01.837
Hollywood did is Hollywood got together.

00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:06.517
The whole rating system was Hollywood
realized if we don't do rating ratings

00:20:06.600 --> 00:20:10.917
Washington's going to.
And Washington is going to butcher it.

00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:12.957
And it let's even say Washington doesn't

00:20:13.040 --> 00:20:15.237
want to butcher it. But like it it

00:20:15.320 --> 00:20:18.197
doesn't understand the métier. So the

00:20:18.280 --> 00:20:22.597
first step is everybody and I'm already
on the phone with people saying okay

00:20:22.680 --> 00:20:24.637
great I understand your issue.

00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:29.917
But you realize the wolves are at the gate
and they already have tasted blood.

00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:33.877
>> Yeah. >> Uh second step
is we have to find ways

00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:38.077
where we get together
and say okay like if you

00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:39.957
just want to go through the issues. Yes

00:20:40.040 --> 00:20:42.517
there are you know using technologies in

00:20:42.600 --> 00:20:45.317
the context of eviscerating

00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:50.557
uh fourth amendment rights in America
is a is something left and right in this

00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.837
country actually don't want. It's
a caricature to believe that either side

00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:57.357
wants it. There are people on the honestly
I'm in private rooms. There are

00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:00.237
people on the left who don't care about
these issues who pretend to do it in

00:21:00.320 --> 00:21:03.957
public do in public. But there are
people and there people on the right who

00:21:04.040 --> 00:21:06.317
pretend not to care who do care. Both

00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:08.917
parties have significant coalitions and

00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:13.757
the American people cares care and it's
in our constitution, but then you have

00:21:13.840 --> 00:21:17.757
to get be very granular about what's
going to happen on the battlefield

00:21:17.840 --> 00:21:21.917
because there the the two issues
Americans care about are their

00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:24.197
prosperity and their safety.

00:21:24.280 --> 00:21:28.957
So, if the if if the two
things that Silicon Valley has

00:21:29.040 --> 00:21:32.877
to figure out is is what are
we going to how are we going to

00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:35.317
ethically talk about what's going to

00:21:35.400 --> 00:21:37.877
happen to our economy.

00:21:37.960 --> 00:21:43.237
I in my view, you have you could create
a lot of prosperity with trade shaped

00:21:43.320 --> 00:21:46.757
people. Uh okay,
but what is going to happen to

00:21:46.840 --> 00:21:51.597
the white-collar workers and what are
we going to do? That That's one issue and

00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:55.677
then we we're not going to agree,
but we have to have something like a we're

00:21:55.760 --> 00:21:59.837
going to do these initiatives just like
Hollywood did and then you're going to

00:21:59.920 --> 00:22:04.517
have to have a discussion on the
battlefield where you know, the

00:22:04.600 --> 00:22:06.197
rebuttable presumption, meaning it

00:22:06.280 --> 00:22:09.477
doesn't happen is that the we are going

00:22:09.560 --> 00:22:13.837
to do the maximal amount to make sure
our war fighters come home safely. And

00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:16.477
if you are sitting in Silicon Valley

00:22:16.560 --> 00:22:21.037
making an argument that somehow would
eviscerate that or conversely, you're

00:22:21.120 --> 00:22:24.797
not able to understand what Silicon
Valley saying, meaning there's going to

00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:29.157
have to be a medium. Without going
into details on all these breakdowns cuz

00:22:29.240 --> 00:22:32.357
I was in the middle of it and I want
to stay in the middle of it. There there

00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:35.317
are substantive issues
and there are cultural issues.

00:22:35.400 --> 00:22:38.677
If we could get rid of the cultural
misunderstanding, we could get pretty

00:22:38.760 --> 00:22:41.117
close to agreements here, but you you're

00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:46.077
dealing with worlds that never ever ever
talk and don't have an ability to talk

00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:48.357
to each other. >> Yeah.
Well, and you've been building a

00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:51.117
bridge between these cultures for 20
years. I mean, that's what's so

00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:53.877
interesting. I mean, that's in some ways
why we have this conference is to bring

00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:57.117
together people who speak two different
languages, very different value sets and

00:22:57.200 --> 00:23:01.037
try to get them aligned. I I'd love your
advice for these founders who maybe are

00:23:01.120 --> 00:23:04.157
new. You know, it's sort of like that
meme, the first time meme with the Coen

00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:06.797
brothers film, you know, where it's like
a lot of these people are having their

00:23:06.880 --> 00:23:09.997
first conversations with the Department
of War. Or they don't or they maybe they

00:23:10.080 --> 00:23:12.237
don't have any family in the military,
maybe they've never never met a

00:23:12.320 --> 00:23:15.877
warfighter. What is your advice to some
of these CEOs who are maybe new to these

00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:19.597
conversations that you've been
having for for 20 years now?

00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:21.477
>> Well, the best thing you could do is go

00:23:21.560 --> 00:23:26.997
to Iowa or go to a base and have
a like I don't think look this way.

00:23:27.080 --> 00:23:31.160
Um maybe the first time

00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:36.237
it's probably not PG, but you know,
I'm happily not married, not divorced, so

00:23:36.320 --> 00:23:41.157
don't follow how I live, but you don't
have to maybe if you're going to meet

00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:44.597
somebody you really want to impress it
maybe not maybe you have an advantage if

00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:47.797
it's your third girlfriend
or boyfriend, not your first.

00:23:47.880 --> 00:23:51.557
Like go have a conversation with somebody
like if you're going to meet a

00:23:51.640 --> 00:23:54.557
general or somebody like that and you've

00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:59.317
never talked to somebody who's actually
done something on the battlefield or

00:23:59.400 --> 00:24:03.357
someone who has family who's done
something on the battlefield and you

00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:07.677
don't have any because of that you don't
have an ability to emphasize with their

00:24:07.760 --> 00:24:12.157
perspective, that's
probably a huge mistake.

00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:14.357
>> Yeah. >> And I that's
probably going to backfire.

00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:17.237
Last Secondly though, you have to be

00:24:17.320 --> 00:24:21.477
honest aware about where
your aptitude is. Like, you know,

00:24:21.560 --> 00:24:24.477
um Silicon Valley tech builders broadly

00:24:24.560 --> 00:24:29.837
defined hardware, software, AI,
I would say we build in the military

00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:32.757
context essentially

00:24:32.840 --> 00:24:36.917
software scaffolding much more like
in a weird way more more like hardware

00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:41.477
software, but it's
in software managing LLMs.

00:24:41.560 --> 00:24:44.597
Um uh it is

00:24:44.680 --> 00:24:49.077
the single biggest mistake people
make in this area is because they're

00:24:49.160 --> 00:24:53.357
intelligent in one area,
they assume they're intelligent in all

00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:55.837
areas. And a big failure mechanism in

00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:58.397
the valley is every valley person is

00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:03.197
forced to present as if they're
the smartest in all areas at all time.

00:25:03.280 --> 00:25:06.357
And that's like if you don't know
who the mark is, you're the mark.

00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:07.877
>> Yeah. >> Like if you
think you're the smartest

00:25:07.960 --> 00:25:11.757
person So I I'm dyslexic and I think
one of the reasons I've done so well is

00:25:11.840 --> 00:25:14.117
I do think I'm one of the better people

00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:16.357
at certain things least I believe it and

00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:18.837
I know I'm not at everything. It's a

00:25:18.920 --> 00:25:21.997
very small It's like but a failure mode

00:25:22.080 --> 00:25:26.797
for the valley is I'm the smartest on
every issue. I For example, I need to be

00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:28.837
the person negotiating this contract.

00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:31.157
>> Yeah. >> What if you
have no aptitude for that?

00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:36.277
Just cuz you can do X does not mean
you've imputed high aptitude at Y. In

00:25:36.360 --> 00:25:37.957
fact, it's very unlikely it's true.

00:25:38.040 --> 00:25:40.037
>> Yeah. >> It's It's
almost certain that you're

00:25:40.120 --> 00:25:43.037
just not smart enough
to realize how bad you are.

00:25:43.120 --> 00:25:45.637
>> That's probably one of the most
important lessons for for company

00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:48.357
builders in the room.
I actually I I want to

00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:53.037
um end the conversation on Palantir
is the OG American Dynamism company. Um I

00:25:53.120 --> 00:25:56.157
think a lot of our founders in this room
are indebted. They've worked for you.

00:25:56.240 --> 00:25:59.317
They've um you know, built their
playbooks inside of Palantir or they've

00:25:59.400 --> 00:26:02.837
built new companies that, you know,
are are epic in their own right, but they

00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:06.757
started at Palantir in many cases.
And so I want to dive into you you brought

00:26:06.840 --> 00:26:09.157
up the neurodivergent fellowship.
It's one of my favorite things you've ever

00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:11.517
done. You've done a lot of great things,
but I think it's it's one of the most

00:26:11.600 --> 00:26:16.317
extraordinary um stands that you've
taken in the company. But you've always

00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:19.797
looked for people who are different
and somehow cultivated them and brought

00:26:19.880 --> 00:26:23.397
together people who are Democrats,
Republicans, on the right, on the left,

00:26:23.480 --> 00:26:25.917
people who are of all walks of life.

00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:29.757
How do you lead such a diverse group
of people especially at scale like at the

00:26:29.840 --> 00:26:32.277
scale you are?

00:26:32.360 --> 00:26:34.717
>> Well, I mean

00:26:34.800 --> 00:26:39.957
it's always hard to know when you're
re- Like I I I view myself as an artist.

00:26:40.040 --> 00:26:43.837
So you really it's like well, how do you
create the art? And it's funny because I

00:26:43.920 --> 00:26:47.877
I mean I Look, I I like
the freedom money gives me and I

00:26:47.960 --> 00:26:52.877
I certainly don't want to like do some
philanthropy to prove that I'm good

00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:55.917
when because I did something
bad cuz I think what we do is

00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:59.397
uh very important. Um but it's like at

00:26:59.480 --> 00:27:01.717
the end of the day, it's like an

00:27:01.800 --> 00:27:04.717
artistic thing, but you know, I had It's

00:27:04.800 --> 00:27:08.757
always helpful. I had My parents
are among the most talented

00:27:08.840 --> 00:27:13.197
people I've ever met and I feel
they don't agree with me that,

00:27:13.280 --> 00:27:15.997
you know, like they
should have They could like

00:27:16.080 --> 00:27:18.477
It's kind of weird I'm so famous.

00:27:18.560 --> 00:27:23.117
Put it that way from my And um I

00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:27.357
uh um uh

00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:30.477
I I And I then there's the American thing

00:27:30.560 --> 00:27:33.917
where we are I really believe in the

00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:37.437
magical liberating inalienable right for

00:27:37.520 --> 00:27:41.677
all of us to be individuals
and that's what I see as

00:27:41.760 --> 00:27:43.437
particularly moral and special in the

00:27:43.520 --> 00:27:45.997
world. I don't like these things that

00:27:46.080 --> 00:27:48.917
like I I've been famously anti-woke, but

00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:53.957
in The thing I find offensive about it
is actually that it's people pretending

00:27:54.040 --> 00:27:56.357
to be different while all being the same.

00:27:56.440 --> 00:28:01.677
And so I don't like uh so
I tend to gravitate towards

00:28:01.760 --> 00:28:03.317
people who are unique and yeah, I don't

00:28:03.400 --> 00:28:05.597
really care their politics. I care about

00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:09.637
like their ability to think and do. Um

00:28:09.720 --> 00:28:13.837
there is an aptitude thing
where can you recognize

00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:16.437
somebody who is truly unique in

00:28:16.520 --> 00:28:21.677
something you've not done yourself
is a just something you're born with.

00:28:21.760 --> 00:28:23.997
Um I

00:28:24.080 --> 00:28:28.797
I do think it's a form
of neurodivergence like outlier IQ is a It

00:28:28.880 --> 00:28:33.077
is certain way it's not that different
than being autistic. Like you just can't

00:28:33.160 --> 00:28:37.197
You're not going to You're not going to
decomp a problem the way somebody who is

00:28:37.280 --> 00:28:39.717
all just normal smart will. Um and I

00:28:39.800 --> 00:28:42.357
find that very, very charismatic. The

00:28:42.440 --> 00:28:46.277
trick to doing it is you have to

00:28:46.360 --> 00:28:50.997
It's It's very hard thing where
somebody who is the best I I believe the

00:28:51.080 --> 00:28:52.957
Palantirians

00:28:53.040 --> 00:28:55.797
will manage a Palantir and sometimes in

00:28:55.880 --> 00:28:58.277
many and most cases presumably after a

00:28:58.360 --> 00:29:03.717
Palantir I am helping them to express
something that only they can do

00:29:03.800 --> 00:29:06.717
at that moment and if you look
at our products and what we've done it is

00:29:06.800 --> 00:29:10.877
actually true even what we're doing
in in like right now it all across the

00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:15.277
Middle East and obviously in America
each single product at each single part

00:29:15.360 --> 00:29:18.757
was built by the one person
in the world that could have done it

00:29:18.840 --> 00:29:21.037
but that and then I have to somehow get

00:29:21.120 --> 00:29:25.797
them to do things that they don't
actually think are valuable but on their

00:29:25.880 --> 00:29:30.077
terms and that's basically my job
because at that level of aptitude you

00:29:30.160 --> 00:29:34.957
can't just say do this idiot cuz they're
like why would I do that you're the idiot

00:29:35.040 --> 00:29:38.437
and so and and then what I think is very

00:29:38.520 --> 00:29:43.157
special about the Palantirians
ex-Palantirians and current Palantirians

00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:46.597
is when you're at Palantir you're not

00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:49.357
learning to to actually follow my

00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:54.477
playbook you're learning to follow your
playbook where I'm inserting some things

00:29:54.560 --> 00:29:58.197
that may not have occurred to you
maybe you don't know I'm doing that

00:29:58.280 --> 00:30:01.717
to make sure that your playbook gets
rid of your dyslexia basically I'm

00:30:01.800 --> 00:30:06.477
anti-dyslexifying your playbook
it but around you and if

00:30:06.560 --> 00:30:11.437
you take like the I don't know there's
so many really important ex-Palantirians

00:30:11.520 --> 00:30:15.997
what you'll see is they're
a kind of plastic people and

00:30:16.080 --> 00:30:19.317
they're not going to build the same
company Palantir was they're also not

00:30:19.400 --> 00:30:23.357
going to build the same company of the
ex-personal as Palantir and that's why

00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:26.877
they play such a disproportionate role
and at the end of the day that's why

00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:28.477
Palantir is like

00:30:28.560 --> 00:30:30.437
playing such a big role because like

00:30:30.520 --> 00:30:34.877
Foundry PG Apollo ontology

00:30:34.960 --> 00:30:39.557
the management of ontology Maven
which is like you know we've just

00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:42.997
like been able to target in a way no
other country can. It's like the other

00:30:43.080 --> 00:30:44.637
countries are like, what the happened

00:30:44.720 --> 00:30:47.517
here? Like we were thinking Afghanistan.

00:30:47.600 --> 00:30:50.797
Like, what is this? Meaning our retreat.

00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:54.277
Like meaning and like like America has

00:30:54.360 --> 00:30:58.557
reestablished deterrence.
That actually just happened. It's

00:30:58.640 --> 00:31:02.717
happened in the last year.
Like that right left center

00:31:02.800 --> 00:31:06.797
I don't care what party you're in in
private. Obviously you can't say this in

00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:10.997
public. In private
that is a phenomenal asset

00:31:11.080 --> 00:31:15.157
that America now has that it did not have.
And there are lots of reasons for

00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:19.797
it, but a one maybe not the most
important is a concatenation of the most

00:31:19.880 --> 00:31:23.357
unusual in some cases
otherwise maybe not fully

00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:24.917
functional talent

00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:27.597
built around building something that was

00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:30.517
an absolutely scandalous unpopular dream

00:31:30.600 --> 00:31:33.717
rejected by many people called Maven.

00:31:33.800 --> 00:31:39.397
And that's how this country By the way,
if we are going to outperform the rest

00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:40.717
of the world,

00:31:40.800 --> 00:31:44.957
uh our single advantage is to augment

00:31:45.040 --> 00:31:47.237
neurodivergent

00:31:47.320 --> 00:31:51.117
highly individual people to be their

00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:55.037
absolutely unique best and protect
their first, second, fourth, and fifth

00:31:55.120 --> 00:31:58.277
amendment rights so
that they don't get screwed.

00:31:58.360 --> 00:32:01.517
>> Absolutely. Well,
again, the OG American

00:32:01.600 --> 00:32:04.517
Dynamism founder, thank you so much
for all you've done for the country.

00:32:04.600 --> 00:32:07.000
>> Thank you.

00:32:15.550 --> 00:32:17.570
>> [music]