“A moment of reckoning has arrived for the West. The loss of national ambition and interest in the potential of science and technology, and resulting decline of government innovation across sectors, from medicine to space travel to military software, have created an innovation gap.” (p. xiii)
Alexander C. Karp, CEO of tech company Palantir (palantíri are powerful, magical stones that allow users to see and communicate across vast distances. These stones, also known as “seeing stones,” were created by the Elves and given to the Numenoreans in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings) sees plenty of problems for the U.S.–and this was before Trump took power and Elon took a chainsaw to Government agencies. Cuts in research and technology place our country at a disadvantage to the more advanced and focused Chinese. The race to master Artificial Intelligence slips away from us.
Karp defends his decision to use Palantir to provide advanced weapons systems for the Department of Defense (where Microsoft and GOOGLE refused). Future wars will be fought with drones and robots. AI will direct combat operations. And the better AI will win more battles.
The Technological Republic predicts a grim future for the U.S. and the world. The World Order that kept the Peace post-WWII is breaking down and an invasion of Taiwan in 2027 by China looks likely. What do you think? GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
| Preface — xiii PART I The Software Century — 1 Lost Valley — 3 Two Sparks of Intelligence — 16 | |
| The Winners Fallacy — 29 | |
| End of the Atomic Age — 37 | |
| Part II | |
| The Hollowing Out of the American Mind — 55 The Abandonment of Belief — 57 | |
| Technological Agnostics — 69 | |
| A Balloon Cut Loose — 83 | |
| “Flawed Systems” — 97 | |
| Lost in Toyland — 103 Part III The Engineering Mindset — 113 | |
| The Eck Swarm — 115 | |
| The Improvisational Startup — 122 | |
| The Disapproval of the Crowd — 130 | |
| Building a Better Rifle — 139 |
| A Cloud or a Clock — 156 | |
| Part IV | |
| Rebuilding the Technological Republic — 169 Into the Desert — 171 | |
| The Next Thousand Years — 190 | |
| An Aesthetic Point of View — 205 | |
| Acknowledgments — 219 | |
| Notes — 221 | |
| Bibliography — 261 | |
| Art Credits — 285 | |
| Index — 287 | |
Well, Palantir’s tech has been used, unsurprisingly, to do damage and collect/organize data on those Americans that the Drumpf reich figures are their enemies, mostly domestic, and Karp and co. seem fine with that, as long as the money keeps rolling in. Thus, I have no reason to see any argument from them to be other than self-serving. But, yes, the Drumpf unity of stupidity and arrogance is in every way worsening our country and its prospects, including in technological development, which is mostly interesting to Drumpf and cronies as means to increase kickbacks to themselves, or cutting their taxes somehow further, or similar grifts. Even other tech companies have been leery of enabling the Drumpfoids to this extent. https://archive.ph/UQHTy
Since Drumpf is an increasingly senile fool who holds in contempt anyone who has dreams beyond ever more effectual embezzlement and tax evasion, with escaping any legal consequences of his sexual abuses of women and younger than women legally as a side interest, he won’t give even the merest excremental drop about outdoing any of the other nations in the world, or keeping up with them, in technological advances. Hence, most of his team of fools will follow that lead. We might have more immediate problems than long- and even short-term slipping behind nations with sane rapacious leadership, as we face a DHHS which wants to get several pandemics up and running, and a would-be dictator who figures he should, instead of helping anyone anywhere including the most desolate of Americans or other people, be able to paste his name on New States attached to the US nearly as easily as he doesn’t actually re-name various large bodies of water.
Todd, the confluence of the Trump Administration and Palatir is no accident.
My point, indeed.
The PRC might invade Taiwan, but it probably wouldn’t be worth the effort or the degree to which it would tend to worsen efforts to become a truly global partner with other countries. I’m sure the Old Guard see it as a sort of imperative, and they are being indulged to that extent, but one does have to wonder what anyone else even in the Beijing central command thinks it would do to help the PRC’s standing in the world.
Todd, if Taiwan is invaded in 2027 the world will be opened again!
In which way, George? As in, everything’s even more up in the air than now?
This just in: The sky is falling!
Bob, the sky here is full of Canadian Wild Fire smoke. I won’t leave my house during these smoky times–breathing the air outside my house is like smoking a couple packs of cigarettes!
I imagine you’ve read this, but Maureen Dowd’s long profile of Karp in the NYT is worth reading again: https://archive.ph/Tm62c
Todd, yes I’ve read Maureen Dowd’s profile of Karp. Karp is betting on a world a war because Palantir is heavily involved in Defense systems.
And pretending he wishes to work for those who will do good work, or at least for the better guys. Drumpf and Netanyahu aren’t the better guys, any more than Putin nor Xi are.
Todd, Putin, Xi, Netanyahu, and Trump are all operating from the same authoritarian playbook.
I expect Disaster from this administration. I just hope we can avoid Cataclysm.
Dan, Cataclysm is on the menu with Trump running things.
Echoing what Todd said: Palantir is currently using all of its data collection/surveillance/A.I. abilities NOT to defend our country or keep us ahead in a technology race with other nations but to monitor Americans—especially those who don’t see eye-to-eye with the current Administration. I’m sure the book has some valid insights about America’s loss of prestige and power on the international stage during the 21st century, but I don’t think Karp (or his business partner, the execrable Peter Thiel) need to lecture us on what America stands to lose. We’re already seeing it.
Deb, Peter Thiel had as much a role in getting Trump elected as Elon did. Thiel also influenced the choice of J. D. Vance as VP.
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/trump-is-getting-desperate-and-dangerous
Todd, if anyone had any doubts about the Trump-Epstein connection, they just have to watch Trump’s desperation in a Press Conference when someone asks Trump about Epstein. The move of Maxwell from a Federal Prison to a Summer Camp supports the inclination for a Trump Pardon.
He’s hoping to bribe her to insist Drumpf was innocent, clearly. Or alternately bribe and threaten.
Todd, moving Maxwell to a Summer Camp from a Federal Prison is just the first move in a negotiation. More to come…
As Bill Crider so often said: We’re doomed, doomed.
And as Deb has said, I’m glad I’m old.
Jeff, Bill Crider would have been appalled at the state of the nation now under Trump.
When you look at what he does as only what will make him money, it simplifies. No interest at all in doing good for anyone else. In fact, the opposite.
Yes, that was a philosophy Jackie’s father had: if we don’t sell them weapons, somebody else will…
“‘That’s not my department,’ says Werner van Braun…”
Jeff, America is becoming the arms dealer for the world. We’re selling weapons and defense systems to everyone!
Well, malignant narcissism. The textbook case. And all these resentful people who idolize or at least chose to vote for him.
Patti, Trump’s crypto scam keeps earning him millions. The American Public just paid millions in tax money for Trump’s trip to his new golf course in Scotland. The guard rails against President’s enriching themselves are gone!
Or are simply being ignored.
This is eally crazy!
I’ve been following the stories about Petr Thiel and now I’ve heard about Karp I’m getting even more confused. These two guys are the leaders of Palantir?
At first it looks like they are totally different. While Karp calls himsef a socialist Thiel is (almost…) a fascist.
The crazy aspect of tgis partnership:
They are both of German descent and studied/worked together for several years at the university of Frankfurt in Germany – they also speak very good German …
And Thiel is gay, ok that means nothing here.
I don’t want to think about these two guys leading Trump – shudder …
For those who can read or understand spoken German. There’s a documentary film on “Karp and Palantir” on German tv ARD which corresponds to PBS.
https://www.ardmediathek.de/film/watching-you-die-welt-von-palantir-und-alex-karp/NzBiODA4OWItZGZmZS00NGY0LWIxZDUtNWU0NDYxMTUzOWVm
Wolf, thanks for the link! Karp and Palantir have Big Plans for the next war in Europe…
Wolf, many billionaires–Elon, Bezos, Zuckerberg, etc.–suck up to Trump in order to influence Government actions. Karp and Thiel are no different.
Someone needs to wipe the smug look off his face.
Jeff, agreed! And the smug looks on Howard Lutnick (Commerce Secretary) and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett’s faces. The Economy is tanking and they’re claiming “Things Are Great!”
“…for us, Really Great!”. With Karp on at least one spectrum and the fellow malignant narcissists clustered around Drumpf, it’s unlikely concern over anything but themselves will ever be forthcoming.
Todd, the current Federal Tax system is fixed for the Rich.
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-emperors-new-trade-deal Krugman on Drumpf’s tariff fantasies.