The AI war lab in Ukaine Alex is helping create might resemble a big ice cube if Z fails to get his act together before temperatures drop below zero.
I had always thought Palantir was the TikTok version of NSA with the wrong algorithms, until I stumbled on this month-old profile1. And then this fawning reportage appearing in February that got me thinking about Heidegger, Gerard, Popper and Veblen (because of Gerard)2.
AI told me: “Gerard views Veblen's work as foundational for understanding the complexities of modern capitalism and its societal implications.”
All this happened during my morning walk.
The Guardian daily wrap-up interrupted my train of thought.
Back to Palantir and Karp.
How should we define elite circle?
Veblen defined elites primarily as members of the leisure class, a social stratum characterized by their exemption from productive labor. Veblen argued that this class emerged as a result of societal evolution, particularly following the industrial revolution, where wealth became concentrated among those who did not engage in economically productive activities.
“Exactly opposite” [of what Alex said] would be “pushing back against Israel is obvious, and Ukraine is complicated.”
Dunno.
In other news, I came across a new shrine to Rudolf Wittmann, the Romanian operator who was killed in 2023.
Wittmann was the first post February 24, 2022 Romanian casualty of the war. He had previously served in the French Foreign Legion before volunteering to fight on the Ukrainian side. RIP.
Have a great weekend!
Alex Karp Has Money and Power. So What Does He Want? In a rare in-depth interview, this billionaire man of mystery, the head of Palantir Technologies, talks about war, A.I. and America’s future (The New York Times, October 4, 2024)
How Tech Giants Turned Ukraine Into an AI War Lab (Time Magazine, February 8, 2024)