4 ms·

I don't think I'll ever be able to hear the name Palantir without thinking of the HBGary fiasco and the plan to discredit Wikileaks. I wonder if it's a widespr

I don't think I'll ever be able to hear the name Palantir without thinking of the HBGary fiasco and the plan to discredit Wikileaks. I wonder if it's a widespread sentiment, or if others wouldn't know about the situation, or would be surprised by its prominence in my mind.

thaumaturgy 15y ago
Nope, you're not the only one. Funny thing is that every time I saw their name, I felt this vague sense of distaste in the back of my brain somewhere, but I couldn't remember why. You just reminded me of the reason.
- Jd 15y ago
  I had the same distaste for awhile until I realized that the HBGary guy actually edited the slides with Palantir's logo on them himself while making a pitch. Pretty sure Palantir canned the employee who let him get away with that a long time ago.
  - nl 15y ago
    I had the same distaste for awhile until I realized that the HBGary guy actually edited the slides with Palantir's logo on them himself while making a pitch Do you have a reference for that? Pretty sure Palantir canned the employee who let him get away with that a long time ago. Is that feeling based on anything or is it just a hope? (Genuine question)
  - wandermatt 15y ago
    I'm not sure your realization brought you closer to the truth. Yes, Palantir issued some denials, but you'd be better off reading the emails... http://politics.salon.com/2011/02/15/palantir/ http://politics.salon.com/2011/02/15/palantir/
    - Jd 15y ago
      Thanks. I didn't see these.
- rhizome 15y ago
  Most of their money comes from leeching off the government, so their history comes as no surprise. It's also why their reputation factors not a whit until citizens demand that government contractors behave themselves. Palantir should have lost their ability to profit on the taxpayer dime for what they were involved in.
jasonkolb 15y ago
I read the leaked press and it seemed to be mostly driven by HBGary who was presenting a proposal to implement Palantir tech. While not completely innocent I got the impression that Palantir was very peripheral to the whole thing. Otherwise you may as well implicate Microsoft for providing the PowerPoint app that the deck was composed with.
cellis 15y ago
Despite reading about that back when it was news, I had completely forgotten about that. At the forefront of my mind when I heard "Palantir" and "2.5 billion", was "wtf". How can a company that simply makes data visualization software be worth that much?
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- benhamner 15y ago
  This is like saying Google simply implements "find" for the web. How can it be worth so much?
- lawnchair_larry 15y ago
  Don't forget that they are funded by the CIA. Not like "facebook is a CIA tool" conspiracy theory, but actually funded by the CIA, from the beginning. They're a private spying company that provides services to the FBI and CIA, among others.
bane 15y ago
Getting sued successfully under federal racketeering law is kind of another red flag.

thaumaturgy 15y ago

Nope, you're not the only one. Funny thing is that every time I saw their name, I felt this vague sense of distaste in the back of my brain somewhere, but I couldn't remember why. You just reminded me of the reason.

Jd 15y ago
I had the same distaste for awhile until I realized that the HBGary guy actually edited the slides with Palantir's logo on them himself while making a pitch. Pretty sure Palantir canned the employee who let him get away with that a long time ago.
- nl 15y ago
  I had the same distaste for awhile until I realized that the HBGary guy actually edited the slides with Palantir's logo on them himself while making a pitch Do you have a reference for that? Pretty sure Palantir canned the employee who let him get away with that a long time ago. Is that feeling based on anything or is it just a hope? (Genuine question)
- wandermatt 15y ago
  I'm not sure your realization brought you closer to the truth. Yes, Palantir issued some denials, but you'd be better off reading the emails... http://politics.salon.com/2011/02/15/palantir/ http://politics.salon.com/2011/02/15/palantir/
  - Jd 15y ago
    Thanks. I didn't see these.
rhizome 15y ago
Most of their money comes from leeching off the government, so their history comes as no surprise. It's also why their reputation factors not a whit until citizens demand that government contractors behave themselves. Palantir should have lost their ability to profit on the taxpayer dime for what they were involved in.

jasonkolb 15y ago

I read the leaked press and it seemed to be mostly driven by HBGary who was presenting a proposal to implement Palantir tech. While not completely innocent I got the impression that Palantir was very peripheral to the whole thing. Otherwise you may as well implicate Microsoft for providing the PowerPoint app that the deck was composed with.

cellis 15y ago

Despite reading about that back when it was news, I had completely forgotten about that. At the forefront of my mind when I heard "Palantir" and "2.5 billion", was "wtf". How can a company that simply makes data visualization software be worth that much?

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
benhamner 15y ago
This is like saying Google simply implements "find" for the web. How can it be worth so much?
lawnchair_larry 15y ago
Don't forget that they are funded by the CIA. Not like "facebook is a CIA tool" conspiracy theory, but actually funded by the CIA, from the beginning. They're a private spying company that provides services to the FBI and CIA, among others.

bane 15y ago

Getting sued successfully under federal racketeering law is kind of another red flag.