14 ms·

PalanThiel: The Uncola

19 points by laurex 6y ago

gameswithgo 6y ago
>The U.S. government is the most noble customer in history, whether you support the person in the White House or not. That is a non argument for how nobel the US government is. This seems to be a disingenuous way of pretending that the current administration doesn't have serious problems by suggesting it is just down to a matter of people's minor preferences. Even before the current administration it would be a tough argument to call our government the most nobel.
- Barrin92 6y ago
  I've followed the Pivot podcast for a while and Kara Swisher and Scott go back and forth on this on occasion. She generally took a more pro-privacy stance and Scott is much more concerned with the arbitrary way in which tech companies seem to cooperate or resist authorities depending on how they feel at any given day. Kind of torn on the issue. In general I think Scott has a point. Having vital national security infrastructure in the hand of unaccountable private firms who'll do whatever they'll like is bad, but the US government is just about one of the worst on the planet to make that case.
praptak 6y ago
"US government is the most noble customer in history" Noble people don't kidnap and don't torture people[0] [0]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24522378 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24522378
- bambax 6y ago
  Yes, this is the most ridiculous and absurd statement of a blog post that contains many.
- thundergolfer 6y ago
  Yeah that’d be line item 98764 on a list of ignoble things the USA government has done. I find it hard to believe that Scott believes that sentence. He didn’t even say the most noble government, which is still ridiculous but an easier sell. Is this sentence just American chest-beating?
  - praptak 6y ago
    I believe this sentence is an ironic summary of Palantir's PR and I'm sort of agreeing with the author that this PR is outrageous bullshit.
thundergolfer 6y ago
Peter Thiel is a scary person to leave around with so much power. He’s a brilliant technologist and so unconcerned with cloaking his selfishness and will-to-power he seems somethings like a fiction character. Power in Facebook and Palantir, media and government. It’s certainly relieving to hear Scott argue the latter company is not gathering strength, but he also doesn’t argue that Palantir is impotent. I am pretty curious whether Thiel has a third chess piece in play. What other industry would most attract a techno-megalomaniac?

19 points by laurex 6y ago

>The U.S. government is the most noble customer in history, whether you support the person in the White House or not. That is a non argument for how nobel the US government is. This seems to be a disingenuous way of pretending that the current administration doesn't have serious problems by suggesting it is just down to a matter of people's minor preferences. Even before the current administration it would be a tough argument to call our government the most nobel.

Barrin92 6y ago
I've followed the Pivot podcast for a while and Kara Swisher and Scott go back and forth on this on occasion. She generally took a more pro-privacy stance and Scott is much more concerned with the arbitrary way in which tech companies seem to cooperate or resist authorities depending on how they feel at any given day. Kind of torn on the issue. In general I think Scott has a point. Having vital national security infrastructure in the hand of unaccountable private firms who'll do whatever they'll like is bad, but the US government is just about one of the worst on the planet to make that case.

praptak 6y ago

"US government is the most noble customer in history" Noble people don't kidnap and don't torture people[0] [0]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24522378 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24522378

bambax 6y ago
Yes, this is the most ridiculous and absurd statement of a blog post that contains many.
thundergolfer 6y ago
Yeah that’d be line item 98764 on a list of ignoble things the USA government has done. I find it hard to believe that Scott believes that sentence. He didn’t even say the most noble government, which is still ridiculous but an easier sell. Is this sentence just American chest-beating?
- praptak 6y ago
  I believe this sentence is an ironic summary of Palantir's PR and I'm sort of agreeing with the author that this PR is outrageous bullshit.

thundergolfer 6y ago

Peter Thiel is a scary person to leave around with so much power. He’s a brilliant technologist and so unconcerned with cloaking his selfishness and will-to-power he seems somethings like a fiction character. Power in Facebook and Palantir, media and government. It’s certainly relieving to hear Scott argue the latter company is not gathering strength, but he also doesn’t argue that Palantir is impotent. I am pretty curious whether Thiel has a third chess piece in play. What other industry would most attract a techno-megalomaniac?