The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir and the Rise of the Surveillance State

「精彩剖析 Palantir 的業務，同時也深刻展現這位古怪執行長的思想世界。」——《每日電訊報》


Palantir Technologies 是世界上最有趣——同時也最具爭議的公司。

Palantir 開發資料整合軟體：其技術能夠吸收海量資訊，並迅速辨識出人眼可能忽略的模式、趨勢與關聯。該公司成立於 2003 年，最初是為了協助美國政府進行反恐戰爭——早期投資者之一是 CIA。如今，Palantir 已成為市值 4000 億美元的全球巨頭，其軟體被各大情報機構（包括摩薩德）、美國軍方、英國國民保健署，以及像 Airbus 和 BP 這樣的企業巨頭所使用。從人工智慧、反恐、氣候變遷、移民問題、金融詐欺、醫療保健到未來戰爭，該公司正處於二十一世紀最關鍵議題的交匯點。

其億萬富翁執行長 Alex Karp，是全球商業界中極具特色的人物。他是一位混血猶太人，同時患有嚴重閱讀障礙；儘管沒有商業或電腦科學背景，卻打造出一家科技巨擘。Karp 其實是一位受過專業訓練的哲學家，以對多項議題持有強烈立場，以及願意直面 Palantir 工作所帶來的道德與倫理問題而聞名。在川普時代，這些問題變得更加迫切，也使外界更加關注 Karp 的密友、Palantir 共同創辦人 Peter Thiel 的政治行動。

在《矽谷最危險的公司．Palantir》中，記者 Michael Steinberger 首次從頭講述 Alex Karp 與 Palantir 的故事。Steinberger 提供了新的傳記細節，並細膩描繪這位領導全球最神秘公司之一的人的心理側寫。本書揭露大量關鍵內幕，是一本關於科技權力、監控國家以及我們共同面對的未來的緊迫而深刻之作。

‘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.