A 1,000-word post from Palantir Technologies rarely goes viral, but its 22-point “anti-woke” manifesto has racked up more than 30 million views on X (Formerly known as Twitter).
Written by co-founder and CEO Alex Karp, it defends AI weapons, questions post-war disarmament in Germany and Japan, and attacks what he sees as cultural relativism and public “cancellation.”
Why it matters: Palantir isn’t just another tech firm. It holds major UK government contracts with the NHS, the Ministry of Defence, the Financial Conduct Authority and 11 police forces, alongside huge US defence deals.
The company describes itself as “plumbing” for data, connecting huge, messy datasets so governments and institutions can search, analyse and act on them faster, often using AI.
That includes its £300m NHS data platform and a £240m MoD contract linked to the military “kill chain,” helping speed up battlefield decisions.
Supporters say Palantir is uniquely built for problems like NHS data chaos. Critics argue its work with defence, immigration enforcement and Israel’s military, alongside the politics of leaders like Karp and chairman Peter Thiel, should raise serious democratic concerns.
Author – Mohammed Najem