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The company is literally named after the magic orb that Sauron uses to surveil Middle-Earth. I don't know what you expected.

by _bxg1 7y ago

_bxg1 7y ago
To be clear: I also think that what Palantir is doing is deplorable. I just think that if you apply there, it's pretty obvious what you're signing up for.
prepend 7y ago
It’s not the Palantir that are bad, but Sauron and Saruman. They were created by elves for useful purposes. Possibly the Palantir saved middle earth when Aragorn used it to scry events leading up to the final battles.
- AndrewBissell 7y ago
  I guess this explains the "Defend the Shire" shirts I see Palantir employees wear sometimes. Always thought the idea they're on the side of the pastoral, mind-their-own-business Hobbits was one of the most absurd misconceptions of their purpose of any company in Silicon Valley, and that's really saying something.
  - prepend 7y ago
    That’s pretty funny, I’ve never heard of that shirt. I just remembered the Palantir as the coolest thing ever when I was 8 and read about it. Years later learning someone named that company that made sense to me before I had any idea what they did. Was actually kind of let down because I was expecting some sort of AI/ knowledge company.
  - alistairSH 7y ago
    Oh. Wow. That is insane. Photo for reference: https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2016/01/11/103295500-Untitled-2.530x298.jpg?v=1452536513 https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/edit...
    - CydeWeys 7y ago
      I have one of these shirts (different color) and get favorable comments from LOTR fans periodically who see me wearing it in public. The front just says "Save the Shire", and it only says "Palantir" in smaller lettering on the back. It's a pretty good shirt, just going by people's reactions to it. I'm just talking about the shirt in isolation though, not in the larger context of what Palantir the company does for their business.
- asdffdsa 7y ago
  Right, but they serve primarily as metaphysical vessels for surveillance, secrecy, corruption, and evil. Given Palantir's deliberate opaqueness and elitism, I don't see why we should grant them a charitable metaphorical characterization of their defining symbol, especially since the aforementioned values are the opposite of the "good" values (lucidity, order, and individual sovereignty) which form the backbone of ethics in Tolkein's mythology and the (Western) culture LOTR was written in.
richardknop 7y ago
Palantirs were created by elves if I am not mistaken. Sauron has stolen / acquired palantirs in battles but originally they were used by people like Gandalf or Elrond for communication. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong.

The company is literally named after the magic orb that Sauron uses to surveil Middle-Earth. I don't know what you expected.

by _bxg1 7y ago

The company is literally named after the magic orb that Sauron uses to surveil Middle-Earth. I don't know what you expected.

_bxg1 7y ago

To be clear: I also think that what Palantir is doing is deplorable. I just think that if you apply there, it's pretty obvious what you're signing up for.

prepend 7y ago

It’s not the Palantir that are bad, but Sauron and Saruman. They were created by elves for useful purposes. Possibly the Palantir saved middle earth when Aragorn used it to scry events leading up to the final battles.

AndrewBissell 7y ago
I guess this explains the "Defend the Shire" shirts I see Palantir employees wear sometimes. Always thought the idea they're on the side of the pastoral, mind-their-own-business Hobbits was one of the most absurd misconceptions of their purpose of any company in Silicon Valley, and that's really saying something.
- prepend 7y ago
  That’s pretty funny, I’ve never heard of that shirt. I just remembered the Palantir as the coolest thing ever when I was 8 and read about it. Years later learning someone named that company that made sense to me before I had any idea what they did. Was actually kind of let down because I was expecting some sort of AI/ knowledge company.
- alistairSH 7y ago
  Oh. Wow. That is insane. Photo for reference: https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2016/01/11/103295500-Untitled-2.530x298.jpg?v=1452536513 https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/edit...
  - CydeWeys 7y ago
    I have one of these shirts (different color) and get favorable comments from LOTR fans periodically who see me wearing it in public. The front just says "Save the Shire", and it only says "Palantir" in smaller lettering on the back. It's a pretty good shirt, just going by people's reactions to it. I'm just talking about the shirt in isolation though, not in the larger context of what Palantir the company does for their business.
asdffdsa 7y ago
Right, but they serve primarily as metaphysical vessels for surveillance, secrecy, corruption, and evil. Given Palantir's deliberate opaqueness and elitism, I don't see why we should grant them a charitable metaphorical characterization of their defining symbol, especially since the aforementioned values are the opposite of the "good" values (lucidity, order, and individual sovereignty) which form the backbone of ethics in Tolkein's mythology and the (Western) culture LOTR was written in.

richardknop 7y ago

Palantirs were created by elves if I am not mistaken. Sauron has stolen / acquired palantirs in battles but originally they were used by people like Gandalf or Elrond for communication. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong.