‘An excellent look at what Palantir does, as well as a fascinating insight into the mind of its eccentric chief executive’ Telegraph

Palantir Technologies is the most interesting company in the world – and the most controversial. 

Palantir builds data integration software: its technology ingests vast quantities of information and quickly identifies patterns, trends and connections that might elude the human eye. Founded in 2003 to help the U.S. government in the war on terrorism – an early investor was the CIA – Palantir is now a $400 billion global colossus whose software is used by major intelligence services (including the Mossad), the U.S. military, the National Health Service in England, and corporate giants like Airbus and BP. From AI to counterterrorism to climate change to immigration to financial fraud to healthcare to the future of warfare, the company is at the nexus of the most critical issues of the twenty-first century. 

Its billionaire CEO, Alex Karp, is a distinctive figure on the global business scene. A biracial Jew who is also severely dyslexic, Karp has built Palantir into a tech giant despite having no background in either business or computer science. Instead, he’s a trained philosopher who has become known for his strongly held views on a range of issues and for his willingness to grapple with the moral and ethical implications of Palantir’s work. Those questions have taken on added urgency during the Trump era, which has also brought attention to the political activism of Karp’s close friend and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel. 

In The Philosopher in the Valley, journalist Michael Steinberger is the first to tell the story of Alex Karp and Palantir from the beginning. Steinberger offers new biographical details and a rich psychological portrait of the man leading one of the world’s most secretive companies. Full of revelations, this is an urgent and insightful book about technological power, the surveillance state and the future we all face.

About the Author

Michael Steinberger is an acclaimed American author and journalist best known for his influential writing on wine and culture. He served for many years as the wine columnist for Slate, where his incisive commentary helped establish him as one of the most respected voices in wine journalism. Steinberger’s work has appeared in major publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Economist, Financial Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, reflecting his wide-ranging interests in food, culture, economics, and society. He has also worked as a foreign correspondent in Hong Kong and written on diverse topics such as finance, politics, and sports. Steinberger is the author of books like Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France and The Wine Savant: A Guide to the New Wine Culture, and continues to contribute as a freelance writer, bringing keen insight and elegant prose to his explorations of contemporary life and taste.