Palantir's CEO calls 'woke' a 'central risk to Palantir, America and the world'
- Reference: 1715088610
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/05/07/palantirs_forecasts_disappoint_the_market/
- Source link:
The company — with its background in spy-tech — disappointed markets by nudging down growth expectations for the current year, while voluble CEO Alex Karp doubled-down on his pro-military, anti-woke agenda.
Growth was stronger in the commercial sector, at 27 percent year over year, compared with the government sector, which grew at 16 percent over the same period. Net income reached $106 million in the first quarter, up from $19 million a year earlier.
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Palantir increased its revenue guidance for 2024 to between $2.68 billion and $2.69 billion. Although the figures are higher than earlier forecasts, investors clearly expected them to be higher still and let their feelings known with a seven percent dip in the share price.
[2]
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Palantir was founded with the help of CIA-backed investment fund In-Q-Tel and it attracted a certain controversy by [4]providing digital profiling tools for the CIA and US immigration agency ICE .
Karp took the opportunity of an [5]earnings call with investors and [6]letter to shareholders to defend the company's brand of tech-nationalism and political posturing.
[7]
In his missive, he noted that software that "currently enables target selection and mission planning has become as vital to the elimination of an adversary as it is to protect the innocent from harm.
"The platforms in use by our defense and intelligence partners present a very real threat to the survival of our enemies. But those same software systems may also make possible and indeed hasten the beginning of the end of an era of total and indiscriminate war," he said.
In March, Palantir [8]won a US Army contract worth $178.4 million to house a battlefield intelligence system inside a big truck. The Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node, or Titan, is an extension of Maven, a controversial project for using machine learning in order to be able to tell people and objects apart in drone footage. [9]Google pulled out of project Maven in 2018 after employees protested.
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In a call to investors, Karp seemingly put any nuanced argument against the use of such applications of the technology off-limits.
[11]UK health department republishes £330M Palantir contract with fewer ██████
[12]Hyundai picks Palantir to help it build automated navy ships
[13]Palantir wins US Army contract for battlefield AI
[14]Palantir boss says outfit's software the only reason the 'goose step' has not returned to Europe
"When we took over Maven, when we refused to stop working with [federal executive department] Homeland Security, when we had discussions about which countries we'd work with and which countries we wouldn't. More lately, in a more timely version, when we supported Ukraine, it was less controversial. When we sold Israel our software, that was arguably more controversial.
"I think the central risk to Palantir, America and the world is a regressive way of thinking that is corrupting and corroding our institutions that calls itself progressive, but actually — and is called woke — but is actually a form of a thin pagan religion," he said. ®
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[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/databases&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZjpQGhH2SfrEkBf-Ssg5-gAAAEY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/databases&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZjpQGhH2SfrEkBf-Ssg5-gAAAEY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/databases&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZjpQGhH2SfrEkBf-Ssg5-gAAAEY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/26/palantir_s_1_ipo_filing_ice/
[5] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/palantir-technologies-inc-pltr-q1-071727526.html
[6] https://www.palantir.com/q1-2024-letter/en/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/databases&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZjpQGhH2SfrEkBf-Ssg5-gAAAEY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/08/palantir_wins_us_army_contract/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2018/06/02/ai_roundup/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/databases&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZjpQGhH2SfrEkBf-Ssg5-gAAAEY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/25/nhs_palantir_contract_republished/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/15/hyundai_palantir_autonomous_ships/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/08/palantir_wins_us_army_contract/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/28/palantir_boss_fii_speech/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: "a 'central risk to Palantir, America and the world' "
"And overselling yourself"
But if they don't oversell themselves nobody else will and he wouldn't want that.
Big steaming pile of Karp
"those same software systems may also make possible and indeed hasten the beginning of the end of an era of total and indiscriminate war"
It sounds much more likely to be the beginning of an era of much more total and indiscriminate war to me. Money + weapons has always been a dangerous combination. Money + weapons + automated targeting + reactionary nutcases like Thiel and Karp is a lot worse.
Re: Big steaming pile of Karp
Where there's war there's profit and these psychopaths want to be there making that profit.
Re: Big steaming pile of Karp
War. War never changes.
"A central risk to the ongoing privatisation of the NHS, our data exfiltration and election meddling" more like.
Thin pagan religion
I think the central risk to Palantir, America and the world is a regressive way of thinking that is corrupting and corroding our institutions that calls itself progressive, but actually — and is called woke — but is actually a form of a thin pagan religion
I have absolutely no idea what he means by this.
Re: Thin pagan religion
Don't worry, he only has access to your medical records and your social media profiles and he's just demonstrated that he's a level-headed type. What could possibly go wrong?
Re: Thin pagan religion
I think he means that everything would work a lot more smoothly if everybody does (and thinks) as they’re told.
When they tell you to jump your correct response is to ask, “how high?”, etc.
Re: Thin pagan religion
Nope, don't bother the man with your stupid questions: Maximum height is implied.
Re: Thin pagan religion
I have absolutely no idea what he means by this.
That's OK, neither does he. But it sure makes for good bumper-sticker politics, dunnit?
Re: Thin pagan religion
Deep down nobody really knows what woke means.
Re: Thin pagan religion
Sure they do. At least they do know what being against it is: It's RWNJ shorthand for, "Why can't I be a racist/misogynist/[insert -ist of your choice] any more? Waaah, waaah, waaaaaaah!"
Re: Thin pagan religion
Odd how that list of things is more often seen from the LWNJs. Especially with the latest Gaza/Israel disagreement.
I've never seen RWNJs chanting 'death to america'.
Re: Thin pagan religion
> [insert -ist of your choice]
Dentist?
Re: Thin pagan religion
Regardless of what this guy specifically means by 'woke', his rhetorical technique is well established. If you want to denigrate something in the public mind, the easiest way is to cast vague aspersions about it that nobody can actually understand objectively but that sound sufficiently negative to arouse concern.
Re: Thin pagan religion
So, he runs a company and is concerned about religion and politics? Seems like someone should really look into a replacement that can focus on the business keeping the lights on and the employees paid.
Go woke, go broke?
"The company — with its background in spy-tech — disappointed markets by nudging down growth expectations for the current year,"
So they didn't go woke, yet still went a bit broke.
What is “woke”
That sounds like a word you’d call somebody who suddenly realizes they have a certain amount of political and financial power that’s independent of the incumbent ruling elite (that’s accustomed to making all the decisions and ignoring everybody who doesn’t like it).
Why, it almost seems like “woke” is a good thing?!
Bad news for CEOs though. Shazbat.
Re: What is “woke”
Woke is treating your fellow humans as if they're, you know, human.
As far as paganism goes, perhaps a little tree, rock, and stream worship might be in order, given the current state of the ecosystem, they could use it[1].
________________
[1] Yes, I know that's actually more specifically animism but let's not split theological hairs, okay?
Re: What is “woke”
"Woke is treating your fellow humans as if they're, you know, human."
Sadly those infected with the wokeness seem all to happy to treat those they see as being in opposition as subhuman and are all too quick to justify force and violence in the pursuit of their goals 'by any means necessary'.
Re: What is “woke”
According to the InterPleb, "woke" is the past tense of of the verb "wake" .
But I guess Karp means the annoying habits of some people who complain about bigotry and injustice based on stereotypes and prejudice. Like the famous film star who complained that the 'n-word' wasn't an insult until recently (i.e., the last decade or so), not realising that it has been one of the most derogatory terms in use for over 200 years.
"the central risk to Palantir ... is called woke"
So it can't be entirely bad, then.
Yet more evidence for the rule-of-thumb: Anyone who uses "woke" as a pejorative is likely to be a f**khead.
"a 'central risk to Palantir, America and the world' "
Woah there, boy.
A central risk to Palantir ? You can die, nobody will regret you.
A central risk to America ? You mean the USA. The USA has a lot more risk than woke, it has Trump and the Republican religion. You can take a hike.
A central risk to the world ? Now you're dreaming. And overselling yourself.