Palantir CEO Karp on TITAN, AI Warfare Technology

Summary

In a conversation with Palantir CEO Alex Cobb, the discussion revolves around the company's significant progress with the US government, particularly the Pentagon, since 2016. Cobb highlights the shift in perception towards software's role in intelligence and warfare, emphasizing the superiority of software-driven systems over hardware-driven ones. He also addresses the company's new relationships with hardware providers and the expansion of Titan, comparing it to the MAVEN project. Cobb's passion for defending the West and providing allies with the best technology is evident, as he discusses the challenges and successes of Palantir's commercial business and its impact on the industry.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Palantir's Titan project is a significant development in the company's relationship with the Pentagon, marking a shift towards software-driven systems.
• 🛡️ The US government, particularly the Pentagon, has come to accept that software is a critical advantage in modern warfare and intelligence.
• 🤝 Titan's approach involves establishing new relationships with hardware providers, aiming to integrate the best software with existing hardware.
• 🌐 Palantir's success has led to a broader ecosystem of defense startups and a more receptive Pentagon, embracing the commercial software model.
• 🔍 The Pentagon's use of MAVEN has been transformative, despite some operational challenges, and is seen as a template for future defense initiatives.
• 🌟 Palantir's technology is being used commercially for tasks like satellite tasking, showcasing its versatility and potential for defense applications.
• 📈 Palantir's commercial business is experiencing a high demand, with the company struggling to keep up with the onslaught of interest from industry leaders.
• 📊 The company's bootcamp approach accelerates the implementation process, allowing clients to see tangible results in a fraction of the time compared to traditional methods.
• 🌍 Palantir's CEO, Alex Cobb, emphasizes the company's commitment to defending the West and providing allies with the best technology available.
• 🤖 The US administration's leadership in AI is seen as strong, with the country being the dominant player in the global technology landscape.
• 📱 Palantir is working on making its products more accessible, with the potential for a publicly available version in the future.

Q & A

What is the significance of Titan for Palantir and its relationship with the Pentagon?

Titan represents a significant advancement for Palantir in its relationship with the Pentagon, as it marks a shift towards software-driven hardware systems, which are seen as superior to hardware-driven systems. This aligns with the Pentagon's recognition of software as a crucial component of America's strategic advantage.

How does Alex Cobb view the progress Palantir has made with the US government since 2016?

Alex Cobb is very pleased with Palantir's progress, noting that the US government has come to terms with the importance of software in intelligence, war fighting, and health issues, which was previously viewed as esoteric and questionable.

What is the difference between Titan and MAVEN in Palantir's portfolio?

Titan is unique in that it involves entering new relationships with hardware providers, unlike MAVEN, which focused on integrating America's best software into the hands of warfighters. Titan is seen as a logical extension of Palantir's capabilities, combining software products that have been used both on the battlefield and commercially.

How does Palantir's approach to software differ from traditional PowerPoint presentations?

Palantir emphasizes actual product demonstration and results over PowerPoint presentations. They focus on showing the tangible impact of their software, which can transform enterprises by making them more efficient, safer, and capable of tracking their operations.

What is Alex Cobb's perspective on the current state of artificial intelligence in the US administration?

Cobb believes that despite internal criticisms, the US is the dominant country and its approach to AI is working well. He suggests that the US is leading a revolution in AI technology, which is primarily produced in Silicon Valley.

How does Palantir manage its relationships with allies like Israel, especially when there are conflicting political interests?

Palantir is happy to supply its products to allies, including Israel. Cobb emphasizes that while the US may push for a ceasefire, Israel has the right to purchase and implement the world's best technologies, including those from Palantir.

What is the purpose of Palantir's bootcamps and how have they evolved?

Bootcamps are designed to rapidly demonstrate Palantir's product capabilities and address the high demand for their services. They have evolved from a three-month process to a much quicker, intensive experience, allowing clients to see the immediate benefits of Palantir's software.

How does Palantir's commercial business strategy differ from its competitors?

Palantir focuses on showcasing its actual product and results, rather than relying on slick presentations or networking events. They compete based on the effectiveness of their software, which they believe is a structural advantage for their clients.

What is the potential for a publicly available version of Palantir's IP?

While currently not available for individual consumers, Palantir is working on product development that may eventually be accessible to a broader audience. They are committed to showing more of their capabilities over time.

How does Palantir's software impact the workforce and the efficiency of enterprises?

Palantir's software enables non-technical workers to perform tasks that traditionally required engineers, thus uplifting the workforce. It also streamlines operations, making enterprises more efficient, cost-effective, and safer to run.

What is the broader impact of Palantir's work on the US and its allies?

Palantir's work contributes to the defense and technological advancement of the US and its allies. It helps assert dominance on the battlefield and in the commercial space, providing a structural advantage in the ongoing technological revolution.

Outlines

00:00

🤝 Palantir's Relationship with the Pentagon

Palantir CEO Alex Cobb discusses the company's progress with the Pentagon since 2016. He highlights the shift in perception regarding software's role in intelligence, warfare, and health issues, which were once considered esoteric. Cobb emphasizes that hardware-driven systems are now seen as inferior to software-driven systems, and that Palantir is at the forefront of this change. He also addresses the expansion of Titan, a project that involves new relationships with hardware providers, and compares it to MAVEN, a project that integrates software into the hands of warfighters. Cobb defends the company's work, citing the importance of defending the country and the success of Silicon Valley in contributing to America's strength.

05:02

🚀 Commercial Applications and AI

Cobb talks about Palantir's commercial applications, giving examples of how non-engineers can use the platform to task satellites and manage agricultural assets based on weather conditions. He contrasts this with the traditional PowerPoint presentations and emphasizes the importance of having a working product. Cobb also discusses the confusion surrounding the AI revolution, particularly in Europe, and expresses his desire for the West to win. He addresses the administration's leadership in AI and the company's work with Israel, emphasizing that Palantir's priority is to provide the best technologies to allies.

10:02

📈 Meeting Demand and the Importance of Product

Cobb addresses the overwhelming demand for Palantir's products and the challenges of scaling operations to meet this demand. He explains the concept of 'boot camps,' which are intensive training sessions that compress months of work into hours. Cobb emphasizes that Palantir's approach is to compete on the quality of its product rather than on sales tactics like PowerPoint presentations or steak dinners. He highlights the company's success in transforming enterprises, making them more efficient, safer, and able to track their operations. Cobb also teases the possibility of a publicly available version of Palantir's product, acknowledging the interest from investors and the public.

Keywords

💡Titan

Titan is a significant project mentioned in the transcript, likely related to Palantir's work with the Pentagon. It represents progress in Palantir's relationship with the government and signifies a shift towards software-driven systems over hardware-driven ones. The term is used to highlight the evolution of Palantir's role in government and defense sectors.

💡Pentagon

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense and is central to the discussion about Palantir's involvement in government projects. The CEO's relationship with the Pentagon since 2016 is emphasized to show the company's growing influence and the acceptance of software as a critical component in defense and intelligence operations.

💡Software

Software is a key concept in the transcript, as it is portrayed as a transformative force in intelligence, war fighting, and general health issues. The CEO discusses the shift from hardware-centric systems to software-driven ones, which is a central theme of the conversation and reflects the company's focus on software development and its applications in various fields.

💡MAVEN

MAVEN is referenced as a project that has been instrumental in putting American software capabilities into the hands of warfighters. It serves as an example of the successful integration of commercial software into military applications, highlighting the importance of software in modern defense strategies.

💡Hardware providers

The term 'hardware providers' is used in the context of Palantir's partnerships, specifically with companies like And Merrill. These partnerships are part of a broader strategy to establish dominance on the battlefield by combining the best software with hardware, showcasing a collaborative approach to technological advancement in defense.

💡Dominance on the battlefield

Achieving dominance on the battlefield is a recurring theme in the transcript, emphasizing the need for the United States to maintain a technological edge in military operations. This concept is tied to the integration of software and hardware, and the importance of Palantir's role in providing the necessary tools for this purpose.

💡Commercial software

Commercial software is mentioned in the context of its use in both military and civilian applications. The CEO discusses the importance of software that has been tested and proven in both environments, suggesting that the same software used in the battlefield can also be applied in commercial settings, demonstrating the versatility and effectiveness of Palantir's products.

💡AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Artificial Intelligence is a key technological trend that the CEO touches upon, particularly in relation to the State of the Union speech. AI is presented as a significant area of development and leadership for the US, reflecting the broader narrative of technological advancement and its strategic importance in various sectors, including defense.

💡Bootcamps

Bootcamps are mentioned as a method for training and implementing Palantir's software solutions. They represent a rapid and intensive approach to familiarizing clients with the company's products, showcasing the company's commitment to practical application and hands-on learning, which is crucial for the adoption of their technology in various industries.

💡Palantir's product

The Palantir product is central to the discussion, with the CEO emphasizing the company's focus on delivering tangible, effective software solutions over PowerPoint presentations and other sales tactics. The product is positioned as a structural advantage for American industry, highlighting the company's dedication to practical outcomes and the transformation of enterprises.

Highlights

Palantir CEO Alex Cobb discusses the company's progress with the US government and its commercial success.

Titan is highlighted as a significant development in Palantir's relationship with the Pentagon.

Cobb emphasizes the shift in the US government's perception of software's role in intelligence and warfare.

Palantir's approach to establishing dominance on the battlefield through software is mentioned.

Cobb addresses the comparison between Titan and MAVEN, explaining Titan's unique position in the market.

The importance of software in modern warfare and the Pentagon's embrace of this change are discussed.

Cobb's response to criticism of MAVEN's effectiveness in targeting operations.

The potential of Palantir's technology to assist in more than just intelligence, possibly recommending weapon usage.

Cobb's perspective on the confusion surrounding the technological revolution and its impact on society.

Palantir's stance on providing technology to allies, including Israel, despite geopolitical complexities.

The challenge of meeting the high demand for Palantir's commercial products and services.

The boot camp approach to rapidly implement Palantir's software, showcasing the company's product over PowerPoint presentations.

Cobb's commentary on the structural advantage Palantir provides to American industry and the potential for manufacturing in America.

The unique selling point of Palantir's software and its impact on the workforce and enterprise operations.

Cobb's vision for the future of Palantir's product development and its availability to the public.

Transcripts

Palantir CEO Alex Cobb. Thank you for having us at another IP

call. Yeah, I think the big news of the week

is Titan. And when I think about.

Your relationship in particular with the Pentagon since 2016?

Frame Titan as is how much progress you feel you've

made serving that part of our government?

Well, look, I'm very exquisitely happy about how well we're doing both in the

government and commercially. But the most important change in the US

government has nothing to do with Palantir.

When we got to, we started building this company.

The idea that software would power intelligence, war fighting, general

health issues was viewed as something esoteric, scandalous, obviously

questionable. The idea that America's primary

advantage premiere advantage would be software was viewed as also esoteric,

academic, self-serving. And every institution in America, and

especially the Pentagon, have begun to come to terms with the idea the reality

that hardware driven systems purely are inferior to software driven hardware

systems. And beyond that, our adversaries are as

good or better at building hardware systems and are have a deficit in

building software. What is different about Titan as

compared to, say, MAVEN, is that you are entering new relationships with other

hardware providers, right? Like and Merrill is one example.

Explain how that is working in this case.

Actually, what I see this as a commonality.

America needs to establish dominance on the battlefield.

Maven What's publicly known about MAVEN is one of these projects that actually

took what America's the best at in the world software, software, and put it in

the hands of our war fighter, by the way, at enormous costs.

You're sitting in Palo Alto. I had people protesting here, hundreds

putting up change in front of our office, calling us Nazis because we were

dedicated to serving the American people, because we had the sense God

gave a goat. And we realized that if you're going to

do really important things in this country, you should defend this country

with every asset we have. And what really happened on the Silicon

Valley side is that you've got because of that success, because of the power of

it and quite frankly, because of our success, people realize this is a place

where you should invest and make America even stronger.

And then what happened is you got a whole ecosystem of defense startups and

an ecosystem of people inside the Pentagon who are ready to embrace that,

that are doing things, by the way, that are very similar to what's happening in

the commercial space. And what are those things?

We're going to look at software not off PowerPoints.

We're going to look at we're going to buy software from people have actually

sold software commercially. And what's unique about Titan is not the

difference. It's that it's the logical extension.

And what is that logical extension? People who've built software products

that have been used on the battlefield and used commercially.

You have to ask yourself a question. If your software is so good, why have

you not sold it commercially and made yourself billions of dollars?

So that that simple insight which you see in the battlefield in Ukraine, which

you see in Israel, is something that is hard for institutions to internalize.

And the Pentagon, this step is one of the most historic steps ever, because

what it basically says is we're going to fight for real.

We are going to put the best on the battlefield.

What is the best? The best is not just some not one

company. It's a team of people led by the most

prominent software provider in defense in the world, Palantir.

There's something you said that that inside the Pentagon, people are ready

for this. Bloomberg did some quite deep reporting

on the use of MAVEN specifically in 2024 so far.

And the complaint from operators in the context that it's used for targeting is

that it's still not quite there. Still, this is I'm just offering you an

opportunity to respond to that. I'm not going to respond because I'd

have to tell you all sorts of things. There is no one, by the way, there was a

long and very important article everyone should read it with.

When I had the way I read the article was this is the most important thing,

one of the most important things the Pentagon has done in decades.

Right. I can tell you the way our adversaries

see Maven and our friends is like, What the f?

How did they actually produce this? And I tell you what, the average citizen

reads the articles like, Thank God we're spending the money on things that are

more valuable than what we're investing in.

And to go into more detail, I have to go to all sorts of class.

I said. That program is one of the shining stars

of what this country has done and serves as a template for We're going on the

offense, we are going to assert dominance and we're going to negotiate

after we're the best in the world. Alex I host the technology show and I

want to talk about the technology, its current capabilities and where it can

go. Is that platform ready to move from

assisting in targeting, which is intelligence basically to giving more

information? The article also looked at the idea that

there is a hope from intelligence services in the US government that it

can be one day in a position to recommend which weapon to use to give

more cuts. Let me give you let me give you

commercial examples because please, I can't go into I can't go into what it

can do and why it can't do. I can tell you what we're doing

commercially right now. You are going to see a normal non

engineer sitting at their terminal, tasking satellites,

exporting a logic inside the security model of the company just to to figure

out which satellite should be over, which part of their agricultural assets

and what should happen based on weather conditions.

Now, you can just imagine how you could do that with a weapon system.

This is exactly what pouch pouch. Your commercial, not pouch here, highly

classified environment, Palantir, with somebody that has been hired five days

ago. They can't write code that's very smart,

may not speak English and is just in awe of the enterprise, is doing that

workflow that is happening right now. And that is why the thing this

revolution, which is highly confusing, it's highly confuses.

Yeah, it's confusing because a lot of the stuff is BS.

Then there's the poetry side of it. I love poetry.

If I could go read more poetry, I would. Enterprises don't need more power.

Yes. You mean what?

Well, it's like, I don't know somebody who delivers PowerPoint.

We're going to give you a you know, it's like, look, everybody has to try to sell

something. If you don't have something to sell, you

sell words right now. So you're selling you're selling

something that doesn't work, can't work. You're explaining to your enterprise you

can't have the car you want, which is honestly Palantir, but you can have the

car you don't want because this and this and this and this and you have to buy

it. And that's that's by the way, that that

is a plague on many societies. Less so America.

There is this problem in Europe that there's really no high end software

vendors. Luckily, our adversaries have this

problem. And you've spoken about your

frustrations with Europe not being more adopted.

Well, I'm pro I spent half my life in Europe.

I want the West to win. So I want it.

But it's a confusing revolution. If you're sitting there and you're

sitting in a society that's led industrial revolutions for hundreds of

years and all of a sudden the industrial revolution is happening basically in one

place. And that's right here.

That's confusing. It's confusing because three vendors are

saying they're going to offer the same thing.

One thing is like, you know, I'm going to explain to you why this doesn't work.

You have to buy your best thing. The others like, oh, it does work, but

it's only poetry. And then there's a third category which

judges by the fruits we provide, which is exactly what we're doing, which is

like, great, We're not going to argue about this part of our product, that

part of our product. I'm happy to explain to somebody who's

technical, we're going to show you what happens in 4 to 6 hours as opposed to

what happened in your whole enterprise over the last two years.

We will talk about the commercial business.

We will talk about bootcamps. But let me just so we can talk about

whatever you it's a final point. You talked about the confusion of the

revolution. Okay.

Today probably will be the first time that a president says artificial

intelligence in a State of the Union speech.

So it's a very simple question. What is your summary of this

administration's leadership, so to speak, of the US in the context of A.I.?

You know, it's very helpful if you spend a lot of time abroad, because if you

look at this internally, like internally in America, there's a long list of

criticisms that you could make of anyone.

This country is the dominant country with no second country in the world.

So whatever we're doing, it's working out pretty damn well.

So it's like, yeah, could we be better? Could we have better regulation?

Could we understand these things better? But but again, we are dealing with a

revolution. That's one of the really confusing

things. Again, for Americans.

It's like normally you have a revolution and multiple countries are

participating. This is a revolution where the

technology is being produced in America, mostly in silicon, but you do have

multiple customers. So just bear with me on this one.

Take, for example, Israel, where you are doing some work with that country.

The administration, as an example, is pushing for a cease fire in that region.

But you are working with Israel. How do you manage that?

Because it sounds like your first priority is the United States.

How do we manage? Look, we.

I'm very happy. We very happily supply our products to

our allies, including Israel. I don't like Israel.

What's going on here is does America provide Israel with more aid?

I don't think there's any question of does Israel have the right to buy the

world's best technologies, assess them and implement them.

Israel, I think, has decided we have some of the world's best technologies.

They've implemented many of them and publicly discuss some of them.

And I Palantir, I think the really the orthogonal, maybe more in question was

why do we say in public what everyone else believes in private, i.e., we

should defend the West, we should not apologize for fighting terrorism, and we

are going to provide our sharp tools to our allies.

Let's talk about the commercial business.

Okay. You told my colleague Lizette Chapman

one month ago, almost to the day, quote, We don't know what to do with the

onslaught of demand in the commercial context.

Do you know one month on what to do now? Now, I mean, if you're going to see a

boot camp here, a series of things we've had to you know, we haven't been able to

meet demand. We've had to tell people we couldn't

accommodate them. We have hundreds of people coming, not

just people, but leaders of industry. And if you just look at it from the

internal dynamics of how do you deal with the contracting, how do you deal

with the implementation. It's true.

These things have gone from taking us three months to 4 hours.

But it's also true. The idea is you cram four months work

worth of work into a day in these boot camps, right?

We it is not even a day. It's 2 hours.

And so and so. Why is that?

Why is that important to Palantir? Why did you go down that route?

Well, the most important reason it's important to Palantir is we can fight

with people about power points and their ability to say, Why do you keep bringing

up PowerPoints is the point you're making that your competitors go in with

a debt? Absolutely.

This is what we do, but they don't have a product.

Is that. Well, I'm not saying anything.

What I'm really saying is if you have a what you did, you said palooka.

That's many. Exactly.

So what I'm telling to everyone there is like they may have a product.

We're showing you our product. Okay.

I can't comment about where they have a product.

I can tell you they're they're very buttoned up and not showing any leg.

We show our product. And why is it important?

Why it's important. I'm telling you why it's important

because a people fight us or fight enterprises that are doing the most

important work with slick PowerPoints and great steak dinners.

We're bad asleep PowerPoints. We're even worse at steak dinners.

We don't play golf. What we do do is we play software.

We will put if you want to actually compete, compete on your product.

And what's very special and yes, do I enjoy humiliating people who have better

steak dinners and sharper knives and better golf suites?

I do. You know what?

I really I really like that we win in that way.

It makes me very happy and it makes our clients happy because.

Let me. Sorry, let me finish.

Keep going. But wait.

We're. We're getting close.

Great. Well, then, people.

And why are our clients happy? Because American industry knows that

this is a structural advantage and it needs the best products.

And why is the bootcamp overrun? Because the clients themselves are tired

of these damn steak dinners and the golf.

They want to see products that actually work, that actually live up to what

people are saying. What is it?

What are people saying? You will transform your enterprise.

You'll make it cheaper to run your enterprise.

That will make it safer to run the enterprise.

You'll be able to track what you're doing and you'll be able to uplift

workers who formerly only could be engineers, and now they can be

everywhere. And by the way, you can do all this in

America. You can manufacture like you were

manufacturing Japan and Taiwan. In America, you can use workers that

used to have to be engineers right here in this country.

And why is it it's also fun for Palantir?

Because we are winning. Alex, I've got to ask you, before I lose

you, the actually the most common question that I get to ask you from the

audience I post on social media you're coming on is when will there be a direct

to consumer or a I don't even know what we would call it, but it but a publicly

available version of IP. And it's that would let me tell you

because they see you as a leader in this space, the Palantir, not necessarily you

as an individual whatever they see, that's I'm happy.

But okay, I look, Palantir, you are seeing the tip of the iceberg when you

are buying our product. Now, we've been working on these.

You can't buy it if you're a person off the street.

Great. You're seeing the tip of the iceberg of

our product development. And we are going to show more and more

and more of what we have. And I think people and I would also like

a lot of those people asking the question, by the way, are not academic.

They are investors in Palantir and they have supported us when we were down on

the ropes. And those are the people that we are

fighting for.