A Palantir Founder Considers the Google
August 2, 2019
DarkCyber read “Good for Google, Bad for America.” Interesting essay. DarkCyber noted several items and circled each in our favorite marker color: Truthful Blue.
Let’s take a look at these:
First, Google’s smart software is not advancing:
DeepMind, having now gone on three times longer than the original Manhattan Project, is not clearly any closer to its core goal of creating an “artificial general intelligence” that rivals or replaces humanity.
Second, Google has a smart software research facility in China:
Google decided to open an A.I. lab in Beijing. According to Fei-Fei Li, the executive who opened it, the lab is “focused on basic A.I. research” because Google is “an A.I.-first company” in a world where “A.I. and its benefits have no borders.”
Third, Google has an attitude:
The Silicon Valley attitude sometimes called “cosmopolitanism” is probably better understood as an extreme strain of parochialism, that of fortunate enclaves isolated from the problems of other places — and incurious about them.
DarkCyber finds these points thought provoking. What’s clear is that Google has invested in smart software. Its principal value has been to enhance its online advertising revenues. The Loon balloon, while interesting, drifts intelligently. The comparison is apt.
Locating a facility in China makes it easy for information to diffuse from the facility into other sectors. Cooperation with government authorities for some in China is a standard operating procedure. Google may believe that its “basic A.I. research” is compartmentalized. But is that belief warranted?
Finally, the attitude. DarkCyber is not sure what the five dollar word cosmopolitanism means. DarkCyber is not sure about parochialism either. DarkCyber does understand the concept of incurious. Why think differently when certain thoughts are obviously correct.
To sum up, DarkCyber wants to know who benefits from the alleged “cooperation” with China?
Stephen E Arnold, August 2, 2019
Palantir: Did ICE Paid $60 Million for an App
August 2, 2019
DarkCyber spotted a short article in Counterpunch. The title?
Records Show Palantir Made $60 Million Contracting with ICE for Mobile App
The write up said:
A critical July 2019 exposé from WNYC based on documents obtained via FOIA request shows how Palantir’s proprietary software, in this case the FALCON mobile app, is essential to the removal operations of ICE and related agencies. As WNYC explained, “FALCON mobile allows agents in the field to search through a fusion of law enforcement databases that include information on people’s immigration histories, family relationships, and past border crossings.”
Counterpunch then shared its own research findings:
Counterpunch has learned that since 2016, Palantir has made more than $60 million in contract awards from ICE for access to FALCON and for Operations & Maintenance (O&M) for the mobile application. This, of course, is solely for FALCON and related services, and likely just scratches the surface of the true scope of Palantir’s profits from collaboration with ICE, to say nothing of Palantir’s lucrative relations with other government agencies such as CIA, DoD, etc.
The write up covers some other information about Palantir. DarkCyber finds the $60 million for an app interesting.
Stephen E Arnold, August 2, 2019
Palantir Technologies: Soldiering Forward
July 16, 2019
On the positive side, Palantir Technologies landed a $144 million blanket purchase agreement from the US Navy. Presumably, Palantir will provide its government-centric investigation and intelligence analysis system and engineering services. According to GovConWire:
The fixed-price BPA [blanket purchase agreement] has a one-year base term valued at $27.6M and four option years that could run through July 11, 2024.
IBM, Oracle, and other traditional intelware vendors are unlikely to be thrilled with the award.
On the negative side, Liberation, an online information service, reported that protests were held in Palo Alto. The group wants Palantir to be shut down. This is a dramatic statement, and it is not going to stop Palantir from licensing its technology to government agencies.
So, good news and bad news for Palantir. DarkCyber believes the company will focus on staying open and closing deals. Competitive systems are proliferating, and some of the newer systems are easier to use and eliminate some of the fussiness associated with the ageing Gotham system.
Stephen E Arnold, July 16, 2019
Palantir Salary Information
June 17, 2019
What does an engineer at Palantir Technologies earn? The question can be difficult to pin down. Team Blind ran a post which provided some insight. Keep in mind that these numbers may be horse feathers:
- Engineer with three years of experience and a Master’s degree: $175,000 base salary, 30,000 shares over five years, and a $50,000 signing bonus
- Engineer with three years of experience : $165,000 base, 50,000 shares over five years.
Stephen E Arnold, June 17, 2019
Thomson Reuters: Whither Palantir Technologies
May 6, 2019
When I was working on a profile of Palantir Technologies for a client a couple of years ago, I came across a reference to Thomson Reuters’ use of Palantir Technologies smart system. News of the deal surfaced in a 2010 news release issued on Market Wired, but like many documents in the “new” approach to Web indexing, the content is a goner.
My memory isn’t what it used to be, but I recall that the application was called QA Studio. The idea obviously was to allow a person to ask a question using the “intuitive user interface” which the TR and Palantir team created to generate revenue magic. The goal was to swat the pesky FactSet and Bloomberg offerings as well as the legion of wanna-be analytics vendors chasing the Wall Street wizards.
Here’s a document form my files showing a bit of the PR lingo and the interface to the TR Palantir service:
I am not sure what happened to this product nor the relationship with the Palantir outfit.
I assume that TR wants more smart software, not just software which creates more work for the already overburdened MBAs planning the future of the economic world.
One of the DarkCyber researchers spotted this news release, which may suggest that TR is looking to the developer of OS/2 (once used by TR as I recall) for smart software: “IBM, Thomson Reuters Introduce Powerful New AI and Data Combination to Simplify How Financial Institutions Tackle Regulatory Compliance Challenges.”
The news release informed me that:
IBM and Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence will now offer financial institutions access to a RegTech solution delivered from the IBM Cloud that features real-time financial services data from thousands of content sources. Backed by the power of AI and domain knowledge of Promontory Financial Group, the collaboration will enable risk and compliance professionals to keep pace with regulatory changes, manage risk and reduce the overall cost of compliance.
I learned:
Thomson Reuters and IBM have been collaborating on AI and data intelligence since 2015, bringing together expertise and technology to solve industry-specific problems in areas such as healthcare and data privacy. Today’s announcement represents another step forward in helping businesses combat their most pressing regulatory challenges.
The most interesting word in the news release is “holistic.” I haven’t encountered that since “synergy” became a thing. Here’s what the TR IBM news release offered:
Featuring an updated user experience to allow for increased engagement, IBM OpenPages with Watson 8.0 transforms the way risk and compliance professionals work. By providing a holistic view of risk and regulatory responsibilities, OpenPages helps compliance professionals actively participate in risk management as a part of their day-to-day activity. In addition to integrating Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence, IBM OpenPages with Watson incorporates the expertise of Promontory Financial Group to help users of OpenPages create libraries of relevant regulatory requirements, map them to their internal framework and evaluate their impact to the business.
Yep, OpenPages. What is this? Well, it is Watson, but that doesn’t help me. Watson is more of a combo consulting-licensing thing. In this implementation, OpenPages reduces risk and makes “governance” better with AI and advanced analytics.
Analytics? That was the purpose of Palantir Technologies’ solution.
Let’s step back. What is the news release saying? These thoughts zoomed through my now confused brain:
- TR licensed Palantir’s system which delivers some of the most advanced analytics offered based on my understanding of the platform. Either TR can’t make Palantir do what TR wants to generate revenue or Palantir’s technology is falling below the TR standard for excellence.
- TR needs a partner which can generate commercial sales. IBM is supposed to be a sales powerhouse, but IBM’s financial performance has been dicey for years. Palantir, therefore, may be underperforming, and IBM’s approach is better. What?
- IBM’s Watson TR solution works better than IBM’s forays into medicine, enterprise search, cloud technology for certain government entities, and a handful of other market sectors. What?
To sum up, I am not sure which company is the winner in this TR IBM deal? One hypothesis is that both TR and IBM hope to pull a revenue bunny from the magic hat worn by ageing companies.
The unintentional cold shoulder to Palantir may not be a signal about that firm. But with IPO talk circulating in some circles, Palantir certainly wants outfits like TR to emit positive vibes.
Interesting stuff this analytics game. I suppose one must take a “holistic” view. Will there be “synergy” too?
Stephen E Arnold, May 6, 2018
Palantir Technologies: The Winding Down of DCGS and the Winding Up of Old School Intelware Vendors
March 29, 2019
Update (March 30, 2019) to related to winding down:
First Mercantile Trust Co Has Lowered By $390,609 Its Raytheon Company in DMinute
If you recognize the acronym “DCGS”, you probably know that the Tolkien-infused intelware vendor Palantir Technologies has captured the $800 million contract for the US Army’s “new” intelligence system. If not, you won’t care.
According to “Palantir Wins Competition to Build Army Intelligence System,”:
The Army has chosen Palantir Technologies to deploy a complex battlefield intelligence system for soldiers, according to Army documents, a significant boost for a company that has attracted a devoted following in national security circles but had struggled to win a major defense contract.
The deal is important. A number of old school vendors have been chugging away on intelware for years. Vendors like Raytheon, IBM, Digital Reasoning, and dozens of others failed to deliver. Palantir, which is not without its share of issues, is going to provide war fighters with a more modern systems.
The fact that Palantir’s core software dates from 2003 suggests that more up to date systems are not in the cards for years to come. DarkCyber has picked up rumors that big chunks of Palantir’s plumbing uses open source, plays semi-nice with legacy system file formats, and operates on the Amazon AWS infrastructure are important to war fighters. The possibility exists that Palantir Technologies can embrace and extend the functionality of its systems.
Does this procurement hint at any future big Pentagon contract announcements? Maybe.
Stephen E Arnold, March 29, 2019
Palantir Technologies and KT4 Partners: Information Decision
February 14, 2019
If you follow Palantir Technologies, there is a dust up between KT4 Partners and the producer of intelware; that is, software designed to provide intelligence solutions to licensees.
Like Palantir’s dispute with the original i2 Ltd., the details are difficult to discern due to the legal processes themselves, the desire of those involved to remain out of the spotlight, and the time lag between events.
If you do follow the legal machinations, you will want to read “Delaware Court Provides Guidance for Books and Records Demands to Limit Producing Electronic Data to Stockholders.”
I am not a lawyer and lawyers in general make me nervous; however, it appears that KT4 will be able to access certain documents to which Palantir has denied access.
Why’s this important?
Palantir and KT4 know that money is at stake. Expensive settlements may have an impact on Palantir’s IPO. Furthermore, documents may contain interesting information which could find its way into the media.
Worth monitoring this matter.
Stephen E Arnold, February 14, 2019
Bloomberg Continues to Needle Palantir Technologies
February 1, 2019
Buzzfeed once was a good source of anti-Palantir Technologies’ information. But change is constant. Now Bloomberg finds news in the company that tries to keep a low profile.
Palantir Technologies, as you may know, is a firm which is a search and retrieval system on steroids. One can use the system to find an entity amidst the process content. If search doesn’t work, the firm has bundled a range of software modules to identify those elusive facts an investigator, a financial analyst, or a drug researcher seeks.
Bloomberg’s “Palantir Slashes Its Own Stock Price to Boost Morale” reports that employees are a bit unhappy. The company is 15 years old, and not really a start up. The firm’s technology is a bit long in the tooth as well. Big systems are difficult to reengineer to keep up with the waves of newcomers. For example, I am not sure a comprehensive list of Palantir-like start ups in Israel exists. I have lists, but these are far from complete. Ever hear of Narrative Science?
The write up points out that Palantir’s high valuation has begun to slump, like the eyesight of a teen who has played video games for a decade every night for five hours in his or her bedroom.
The main point of the write up strikes at the soul of the Silicon Valley capitalist: “The stock adjustment raises an important question: What is Palantir worth?”
The answer is that search centric companies, regardless of how they are packaged, lack the ability to generate cash in the manner of Facebook, Google, or, praise the Austrian economists, Amazon.
This Bloomberg statement casts a shadow over Palantir and its management team:
Because Palantir typically offers lower salaries than many nearby tech companies, equity is a big part of the sell. But the stock options were overpriced, according to Palantir shareholders and prospective investors. All seven mutual funds that own Palantir shares have slashed the value of their holdings since their 2015 high of $11.38. SP Investments Management values Palantir at $7.87 a share as of September, the most recent data available. Morgan Stanley’s mutual funds have decreased prices seven times in three years, to $2.49.
Employee unrest, poaching of staff, and financial fancy dancing are routine in Silicon Valley. Why target Palantir? That’s a question which I find more interesting than why the company is trying to keep employees happy?
The answer, “Real news.”
Stephen E Arnold, February 1, 2019
Palantir Revenue: Close to $1 Billion
January 18, 2019
I read “Palantir Posted Nearly $1 Billion in 2018 Sales, Executive Says.” The write up states:
Palantir Technologies Inc., the data analytics startup co-founded by Peter Thiel, generated almost $1 billion in revenue last year, an executive said in a French television interview.
Half of that revenue came from commercial clients. The other half came from non commercial clients like government agencies and non governmental organizations.
The company’s new Foundry product contributed to a boost in revenue, which had been forecast to be $750 million.
How close to $1 billion is Palantir? It seems that Palantir is closer to $800 million in revenue which is going to be okay for financial horse shoes.
How long has it taken Palantir to reach the $800 million figure, assuming that it is accurate?
Palantir was founded in 2003. That’s close to 15 years. How long did it take Autonomy to get close to $800 million in revenue? About 14 years.
What’s Palantir’s secret sauce? Its proprietary systems and methods. What was Autonomy’s secret sauce? Its secret neuro dynamics system.
Interesting. Palantir and Autonomy share other similarities as well.
The trajectory of Palantir’s initial public offering will be an event for investors who have injected about $2 billion in the firm.
Few search centric, content processing, analytics companies have achieved this type of revenue.
Like me, stakeholders in Palantir will be anticipating a pay day. Once the dust settles, I will get more information about sustainable revenue and other tidbits about the company. Perhaps other parallels with Autonomy will become evident.
Stephen E Arnold, January 18, 2019
Quote to Note: Palantir Flaw
December 24, 2018
I read “Koverse Co-Founders Tap NSA Expertise to Build a Platform to Solve Unsolvable Tech Challenges.” Koverse is a big data company, based in Seattle. The firm’s engineers use the Apache Accumulo data management system. (Accumulo shares some DNA with the Google Bigtable data management system which is old enough to vote.)
Koverse’s competition includes Silicon Valley’s Palantir Technologies, a company worth billions that was started by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Matsuo downplayed Palantir’s hype. “They have gaping holes in their product that we are starting to exploit,” he said.
That is an interesting comment about Palantir Technologies, a company which has captured a number of commercial and government customers. With an initial public offering rumored, Palantir may find the observations a bit negative.
The company offers its Precision search engine. The write up points out that Koverse has “unparalleled” scalability and security.
For more information about the NSA infused Koverse, navigate to www.koverse.com.
Stephen E Arnold, December 24, 2018
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