It’s a weirdly specific thing to say multiple times.
More people need to realize the parasitic relationship the wealthy in America currently occupy.
There were always monstrous leaders, and overall, cruelty and suffering in much of the developed world has decreased over time. But I can't think, through my biased filter, of historical ultra rich people who were less scheming for power and more for, well, evil.
I'm not picking specifically at Karp, or indeed calling him evil - I don't like Palantir but don't know enough about them to have an opinion. But I think most people wouldn't struggle to name a few very evil, very rich contemporary people.
It's easy to think of some ultra rich people from the past doing grand philanthropy - Carnegie, JP Morgan, Rockefeller. Recent era? All I can think of is Soros and Bill Gates (whatever the Epstein files say, and I admit I didn't look at the details, he is a bona fide philanthropist) and they're both getting old.
SilverElfin•1h ago
general_reveal•1h ago
Almost like the thing they say is true, the devil is disguised, but quite apparent … almost brazen. Devil in disguise would be too simple of an explanation, but that is what it truly is.
Trippy times.
Edit:
But to echo the general sentiment, the “cool” super smart ceo shtick who says edgy capitalistic things was always a particularly obnoxious phenomena.
nannal•1h ago
mempko•1h ago
Palantir itself is trading at an unjustifiable premium given their fundamentals. They P/E is north of 200x. It's forward guidance also doesn't justify their price imo.
So their beef with analysts is obvious since they have a huge risk to the downside in price. The recent pullback of around 21% is not sufficient in my opinion. Note this is not financial advice.
mcphage•1h ago
Or, he has no qualms about lying.
lenerdenator•1h ago
I think that he really does see himself as classic liberal in that he really does see government as "limiting" to people like him with things like regulation. Say what you will about the current administration, they're absolutely not going to regulate people who create wealth.
There's a divine right of kings element mixed in here. Thiel, Karp, Trump and the rest really do think that the order of the universe, or the will of a higher power, is putting them in a place to operate without limits. They see any sort of regulation of their behavior as an affront to the order of nature. That's why they consider themselves classically liberal. Ultimately, the little people - that's us - are being illiberal by electing governments that can do things like say "hey, maybe we don't put everyone under constant surveillance" that would both challenge their power and their profitability.
lenerdenator•1h ago
It makes perfect sense as a company. Low-tier software consultancy that has ties to the most powerful government in the world and can acquire lucrative contracts is an absolutely valid business model.
> And it’s the job of the CEO to convince them with real information not insults.
Why? What happens if the CEO doesn't take the high road? Is Trump going to say "your lack of decorum and decency has lost you the US government as a customer"? Hell no. He's the guy who kicked this sort of schtick off.
The job of the CEO is to create value for shareholders in any way possible. That's where it starts and stops. Right now there's a lot of money in creating a panopticon to be exploited by various governments and well-heeled elites. Karp does this. Therefore he is doing his job.
Is this the logical conclusion of everything people have been saying about reducing government regulation of business since the 1970s? Yeah, but the money was right, so we ignored them.