Palantir CEO celebrates one cash culture to rule them all

Palantir CEO Alex Karp used his quarterly shareholder letter to take aim at critics after the company beat Q3 2025 earnings estimates. The company, named for an Elvish video conferencing system hacked by the evil Sauron in The Lord of the Rings, reported $1.2 billion in revenue for the quarter, a 63 percent increase from a …

[Rikki Tikki]

"The falcon cannot hear the falconer; things fall apart; the center centre cannot hold"

FTFY - Yeats was a right-pondian.

And, is Karp anticipating the Second Coming? Should we prepare?

[Eclectic Man]

'Things Fall Apart'

Is the title of a novel by Chinua Achebe, and is well worth reading concerning the clash of cultures and European colonialism in Africa.

Karp's literary references smack of 'drama' and the late Terry Pratchett's character DEATH was not a fan of drama (see 'Reaper Man'), and when it comes to CEO's and 'destiny' or 'the first amendment', neither am I.

[beast666]

"And what rough beast, its hour come round at last..."

[Gort99]

Well it ain't you that's for sure buddy.

[Ace2]

Fuck him and all of his money.

[wolfetone]

I've slept with worse.

[IGotOut]

People were wrong about us!

We proved you CAN be a company devoid of ethics and make a shit ton of money, once you appeal to the right kind of government and it's mechanisms of power.

[Dan 55]

Re: People were wrong about us!

He talks big but still bottled out of making a digital ID system for a mid-sized nation.

[Sorry that handle is already taken.]

Re: People were wrong about us!

"Taking aim at" your critics indicates insecurity, mostly...

[SnailFerrous]

"The company, named for an Elvish video conferencing system hacked by the evil Sauron in The Lord of the Rings"

More a Wraith in the Middle attack. Hacker hoodies are obviously styled sfter ringwraith cowled robes though.

[Dan 55]

"The company, named for an Elvish video conferencing system hacked by the evil Sauron in The Lord of the Rings"

Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.

[Bebu sa Ware]

Elvish video conferencing system hacked by the evil Sauron

The Third Age version of the decidedly Orcish Microsoft's Teams ? Screams ?

The picture of the "Dark Lord" doing "stand·ups" with Saruman — both with glass balls betwen their hands. It's "Carry on up Gondor" material.

[Philo T Farnsworth]

This might be heresy in some quarters. . .

. . . But if I ever invent a time machine, one of the first things I'm going to do is go back in time and burn the manuscript of The Lord of the Rings before it ever gets published.¹

Right after strangling baby Hitler in his bassinet, of course.²

_________________

¹ I tried reading the thing twice and, on the second try, almost forced my way through the second book before throwing it across the room. My partner characterized it as "trudge trudge trudde, sing a song, have a battle, trudge trudge trudde," with heavy emphasis on the trudging. I shall wear your downvotes as a badge of hono(u)r.

² I mean, first things first.

[ParlezVousFranglais]

Re: This might be heresy in some quarters. . .

Point 1, definitely heretical :) - I would certainly not advocate burning it, but I completely agree with the initial trudge - for me though, it's worth it in the end...

Of course, Tolkien was trying to do far more than merely writing a novel, he was creating an entire world and it's history - it's a hugely entertaining place to spend some time, but I agree it needs a certain kind of perseverance to get over the hump and get the most from it. If you don't like it, then for goodness' sake don't pick up a copy of Ulysses...

Point 2, different debate - there's an element that says WW2 would have happened anyway, and that with more a competent and less paranoid leader the outcome could have been worse for the Allies - moral there is be careful what you wish for...

[Philo T Farnsworth]

Re: This might be heresy in some quarters. . .

> then for goodness' sake don't pick up a copy of Ulysses...

I tried reading Finnegan's Wake once and there are some places humans will never go: to colonize the galaxy and past page 3 of Finnegan's Wake¹.

But back to LotR. . . I don't particularly dislike the books², per se. If you can make it through Tolkein's bad poetry, then, please, be my guest. Just don't take it as an operating manual for society.

Re: WWII, I'm largely in agreement. As many have noted, the primary cause of WWII was the Treaty of Versailles and, of course, the worldwide depression of the 1930s.

Whether it would've included the Holocaust as a result is an exercise for those who dwell in the world of counterfactuals.

_______________

¹ I stole that line from someone talking about Samuel R. Delany's Dhalgren but I have no idea from whom.

² I read and actually found the prequel, The Hobbit, to be a reasonably amusing tale even if fantasy isn't exactly my cup of something "almost - but not quite - entirely unlike tea."

[ParlezVousFranglais]

Re: This might be heresy in some quarters. . .

If you have kids, nieces, nephews, his "Father Christmas Letters" is an awesome book for youngsters - also a perfect time of year to go track down a copy on Ebay...

[Yorick Hunt]

Pest!

Carp are a recognised pest in Australia.

Karp is a recognised pest in the USA.

Exterminate both species, I say!

[Pascal Monett]

"insufficient recognition of his company's accomplishments"

Oh no, we recognize your accomplishments.

You have successfully become one of the most despicable companies on the face of this planet.

We have no doubt on that point.

[Anonymous Coward]

He seems stable…

[Anonymous Coward]

"assail the commentariat for insufficient recognition of his company's accomplishments."

Alex, it's not the financial achievements we criticise it's the suspicion of who gets to see and use the data.

"It is and was a mistake to casually proclaim the equality of all cultures and cultural values."

Indeed, it is also a mistake to think that one person, or even one institution, should decide which has most value and to whom. That is for the nation as a community and for the people of the nation to decide. It is the core value of nations as boundaries and when those boundaries are breached in whatever way or individuals set themselves as the arbiter, chaos comes.

[Rivalroger]

What the hell is he wittering about?

So, his company (well Thiel's mainly) has scored some lucrative government contracts on both sides of an ocean. Given their belief in the primacy of the invisible hand of the market surely such contracts are socialism and therefore an aboninimation in the eyes of the Market Deity.

[sabroni]

Re: surely such contracts are socialism

It's only socialism when you give government money to the poor, silly!

[Roland6]

Re: surely such contracts are socialism

But for these numbers to be true, Palantir have had to go through a massive change in circumstances from being poor to now being rich.

This would suggest governments should be giving wheelbarrow loads of money to the poor, so that they are no longer poor but rich and thus no longer need government payouts…

[kmorwath]

"its significance in shaping our current geopolitics"

So he admits it? A government run by a private business? Do they believe they are Robocop's OCP?

That also means that as soon as the "current geopolitics" changes, Palantir can be in trouble.

[Bebu sa Ware]

"We're left to wonder which cultures Karp deems worthy."

A purely rhetorical question surely ?

[Eclectic Man]

Re: "We're left to wonder which cultures Karp deems worthy."

Personally, I deem the culture of yeast (see icon), and some bifidobacterium (I have several pots of the live stuff variously flavoured in the 'fridge, awaiting my 'attention') worthy also whatever magic turns grape juice into wine.

[Apocalypso - a cheery end to the world]

Crow pie?

> Palantir CEO Alex Karp used his quarterly shareholder letter to take aim at critics after the company beat Q3 2025 earnings estimates.

Much as I hate to interrupt an enemy while he is making a mistake, crowing too much over beating analysts estimates is a double-edged sword: the analysts might feel that the only reason their estimates were low was because they were misled in the first place during earlier briefings and so will be less inclined to trust the company next time.

[MrRtd]

Being buddy buddy with the most corrupt US government ever certainly has helped them.

Corruption often pay well in the short term...I wonder how long it'll last?

[Anonymous Coward]

No govt bribes here. No nothing to see, move along now.