In this episode of Get the Check, the hosts unpack Palantir’s rise into one of the world’s leading data analytics firms and the U.S.'s largest defense contractor. They explore how the post-9/11 demand for enhanced national security led Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and others to found Palantir, with the goal of creating a tool to unlock insights from the vast troves of data that already existed. The ended up playing a vital role in the capture of Osama Bin Laden. 

The hosts break down Palantir's impressive 2024 Q3 earnings, including its 327% YTD stock surge. The hosts provide an overview of Palantir’s flagship products: Foundry, Gotham, and AI Platform (AIP) and discuss whether its ontological layer that transforms the data into actionable insights is truly transformative or over engineered. They dive into the forward deployed model that Palantir employees and how it is unique from traditional SaaS companies or tech consulting.

The hosts also talk about Palantir's expansion into the commercial sector and go into a case study of how a commercial client would use Palantir. Finally, they discuss the ethics behind Palantir's work with ICE and different cities on predictive policing strategies. Tune in to learn more about one of the most talked about companies this year. You can follow @getthecheckpod on all socials to hear about when our final episode of Season 1 is coming out!

00:00 Intro

01:20 Palantir’s Recent Earnings Report

05:14 Core product overview

08:25 What is ontology?

15:50 Forward-deployed engineering model

19:00 Expansion into commercial customers

27:11 Predictive Policing and Palantir’s involvement

37:19 Cancelling restaurant pick of the week