Hershey Chocolate: Semi Sweet Analytics?
March 4, 2016
I am wrapping up my profile of Palantir Technologies. I located a couple of references to Palantir’s activities in the non-government markets. One of the outfits allegedly swooned by the Hobbits was Hershey chocolate. A typical reference to the Hobbits and Kisses folks was “Hershey Turns Kisses and Hugs into Hard Data.”
When I read “The Hershey Company Partners with Infosys to Build Predictive Analytics Capability using Open Source Information Platform on Amazon Web Services,” I wondered why Palantir Technologies was not featured in the write up. Praescient Analytics, near Washington, DC, can plug industrial strength predictive analytics like Recorded Future’s into a Metropolitan installation without much hassle.
The write up makes clear that the chocolate outfit is going a new way. The path leads through Amazon Web Services to the Infosys Information Platform.
I find this quite a surprise. I have no doubt that Infosys has some competent folks on its team. But the questions flashing through my mind are:
- What’s up with the Palantir system?
- Why jump to Infosys when there are darned good outfits available in Boston and Washington, DC?
- What’s an outsourcing firm able to deliver that specialists with deep experience in making sense of data cannot?
I never understood Mars, and now I don’t understand the makers of the York Peppermint Patty.
Perhaps this is a “whopper” of a project?
Stephen E Arnold, March 4, 2016