After spending almost 6 years at #Palantir, I know something about what they do and what they don't do. As a result, I want to address the inaccuracies in the 6/30 @nytimes article that's been picked up by multiple outlets this week. 🧵 1/11 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/0...
In this thread, I speak solely for myself. I departed Palantir in April (and will share my new chapter soon!). My purpose here is simple: to call for honest and accurate reporting—especially in an era increasingly shaped by distortion and #disinformation. 2/11
Plenty of people have valid criticisms of Palantir—I at times raised concerns while there, as the culture encourages. I believe in speaking up. I also believe in getting the facts right and straight. Criticize what you find problematic—but start with the truth. 3/11
INACCURACY #1: The headline "Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans" is fundamentally wrong. Palantir doesn't do that. They provide software that helps organizations analyze data those organizations already possess. https://blog.palantir.com/pala... 4/11
INACCURACY #2: The article suggests Palantir is building a "master database." That's not how Foundry works. It's a data integration platform that connects to existing systems. Read more about Foundry here: https://www.palantir.com/platf... 5/11
INACCURACY #3: "Which could easily merge data on Americans" - this framing makes standard enterprise data integration sound sinister. Many companies and government agencies use similar tools to work with data across multiple systems. This isn't unique or nefarious technology.
INACCURACY #4: The article seems to conflate what software CAN do with what it IS doing. Yes, data integration tools can theoretically be misused - so can Excel, SQL databases, or any data tool. The article provides no evidence of misuse, only fear about possibilities. 7/11
INACCURACY #5: Describing routine government IT modernization as surveillance infrastructure. Agencies updating their data systems and analytics capabilities is normal. 8/11
ACCURATE STATEMENT: Palantir has said they're "a data processor, not a data controller." Clients define what data is accessed and how it's used. This is a crucial distinction the article glosses over while creating surveillance panic. Again, Palantir does not collect, store, or
The article takes standard enterprise software functionality and frames it as dangerous surveillance tech. It's like writing a scary article about Excel because it "could be used to track Americans" if someone put personal data in spreadsheets. 10/11
Palantir is a public company in a democracy with a robust First Amendment—of course, there are legitimate things to scrutinize and criticize (as w any company), from contracts to clients to strategy. Dr. Karp himself has said countless times: “We built Palantir with the idea that