Palantir: Outside In or In In or?
June 12, 2017
I try to keep up with Palantir Technologies’ news. I love the job openings; for example, a real estate person for the firm’s New York office. I noted a more substantive item called “Palantir Goes from Pentagon Outsider to Mattis’ Inner Circle.” General James Mattis is affectionately known by some as “Mad Dog.” In 2016, a real journalist described General Mattis as a “warrior monk.” For me, I will stick with General Mattis and ignore suggestions that he would only visit a monastery if it were stocked with certain essential items. I have heard these items include beer and possibly. Well, never mind.
The point of the write up is that on General Mattis’ watch, Palantir is a technology outfit which interests him. Perhaps a more accurate statement is that the functionality of Gotham matches his A to B thinking with regard to getting actionable intelligence.
The write up tells me:
Palantir’s startup mentality has led it to shun the way business is typically done in Washington and, as a result, made some enemies in the process, including some larger, more traditional defense companies.
I wondered, “Is IBM one of those traditional companies?” What’s a little out of court settlement between friends?
The point of the write up seems to be that three people working in the General Mattis’ unit had some involvement with Palantir. The 64 dollar question is, “So what?”
The write up put my mind at ease with this statement:
Byron Callan, an analyst with Capital Alpha Partners, said he is “skeptical” that three staffers with ties to Palantir will cause the Pentagon to flip its position on the company or start doing business with it. But he said having these Silicon Valley voices on the inside could foster a continuation of some of former Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s priorities to build bridges between the Pentagon and industry in hubs of innovation. “It was debatable whether this whole push that Carter had when he was SecDef would survive,” Callan said. “When you have people at Palantir in the positions they are, you have to believe there are some voices that are not just standing in the visitors area waiting to get in and talk about it.”
My experience is that one’s work experience can be a plus. I snagged a gig while working at a well known firm with Craig Hosmer, then a Congressman and a retired admiral. Big time consulting firms and high profile government contractors flow into and out of the government in my experience.
Is Palantir now in or is Palantir sort of in? Of course, Palantir could be “in” but still on the outside? Other permutations are possible, but almost anything is possible when one catches Potomac fever even writing about employees’ work history.
Stephen E Arnold, June 12, 2017
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