Palantir: DOGE’s Magic Wand or Deep State’s Weapon?
CC0 / Midjourney AI /
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Palantir’s meteoric market rise has sparked speculation about its role in Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – and dark military projects. Let’s explore.
Does Musk’s DOGE Use Palantir Tech?
X users claim Palantir’s AI facilitated DOGE’s access to USAID and other government projects
Wired reported that associates of Palantir and its co-founder Peter Thiel were involved in a 2024 online recruiting push for DOGE
The Financial Times says Trump picked Palantir executives for key government roles after his 2024 victory
Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, a Trump ally since 2016, also backed VP JD Vance’s political rise
Palantir’s Dark Side
Named after the powerful crystal balls in The Lord of the Rings, Palantir was founded in 2003 to assist US intelligence and received early CIA funding through its venture capital firm In-Q-Tel
It provided solutions for US-NATO operations in Afghanistan and Iraq
It has recently come under scrutiny for aiding the Zelensky regime and the Israeli war effort
Ukraine: Palantir Directs Strikes on Russia
Time reported that Palantir turned Ukraine into an “AI war lab” in June 2022, offering its services for free
CEO Alex Karp worked with Volodymyr Zelensky to integrate Palantir’s AI into Ukraine’s military strategy to "defeat" Russia
Palantir’s software gathers intelligence from drones, satellites and ground sources to enhance targeting of Russian positions and increase the lethality of strikes
In Feb 2023, Karp claimed Palantir was responsible for “most of the targeting” by Ukrainian forces
The Biden administration asked Palantir to help wiyh battlefield tech for use against Russia
AI-Powered Genocide in Gaza
Israel’s Defense Ministry signed a deal with Palantir in January 2024 to support the war in Gaza
Karp revealed that Palantir was already active in Israel just weeks after the October 2023 Hamas attack
The company is linked to Israel’s AI-driven “kill lists,” including Tel Aviv’s Lavender and Gospel projects to bomb Palestinian territories
Palantir provides AI targeting and surveillance tools to Israeli forces and intelligence agencies in Gaza and West Bank
Some international institutions and companies, like Norway’s Storebrand Asset Management, divested from Palantir over human rights concerns
