Palantir co-founder and executive director Alexander Karp opens his new book with a provocative declaration: “The Silicon Valley lost its way.”
Over the past decade or so, since the data analysis company has become prominent because of its work with US military and intelligence, the carp has largely remained outside the light. Last year, u Rarely interview with the New York TimesHe described himself as “progressively but not awakened,” “consistently a sheltered gaze.”
Now, in “Technology Republic: hard power, soft belief and future of the West”(Co -authored with Nicholas Zamisko, head of Palantar for corporate affairs and legal advisor to the executive director), Karp wrote some of the manifests. In fact, he and Zamiska describe it as “the beginnings of articulating the theory” behind Palanti.
In their narrative, the early success of the silicon valley has created a close alliance between technological companies and the US government. They claim that this alliance has fallen apart, with the Government “ceded the challenge of developing the next wave of technology crucified in the private sector”, while the Silicon Valley “turned inwards, focusing its energy on narrow consumer products, not on projects saying projects who say we deal with our greater security and well -being. “
The pair criticizes the output of a silicon valley dominated by “internet advertising and shopping, as well as platforms to share social media and video”, which suggests that it stems from an industry that valorizes the construction of things without asking what it is worth building or why.
“The central argument that is progressing on the pages that follow is that the software industry should renew its relationship with the Government and divert your efforts and attention to constructing technology and artificial intelligence opportunities that will deal with the smallest challenges we collectively face,” “Karp and Zamiska They write.
They also claim that the “engineering elite” of the Silicon Valley has a “positive obligation to participate in the defense of the nation and the articulation of the national project – what is this country, which are our values and for what we are standing.”
The reviewers are not fully conquered. In Bloomberg, John Ganz regretted This “technological republic” is not a book at all, but part of the corporate sales material. “
And in New Yorker, Gideon Lewis-Kraus proposed That the book “Anachronism” is probably written before Donald Trump’s victory in the November 2024 elections. Now Lewis-Kraus wrote: “His vision of a supporting connection between Washington and Silicon Valley, meanwhile, has become almost strange.”
Indeed, one thing that Karp and Zamiska criticize is “the reluctance of many business leaders to embark on any meaningful way and besides occasional and theater steps, the most adherent social and cultural discussions about our time.”
Of course, we now see that at least one business leader takes this directive to interfere with politics quite seriously, like Trump Ally Elon Musk tries to rewor off the federal government through its Government Efficiency Department.