Patrick O'Shaughnessy sits down with Shyam Sankar, CTO of Palantir Technologies, to discuss the critical role of "heretics" in driving American innovation and military success. Shyam shares Palantir's unique approach to unlocking extreme talent through high-stakes "gamma ray" moments and explains the philosophy behind their pioneering Forward Deployed Engineering model. The conversation dives deep into the urgent need to re-industrialize the United States, the shifting dynamics of the global defense industrial base, and how the US can maintain its asymmetric advantages against adversaries like China. They also explore the power of enterprise ontology, the future of AI, and how holding onto a culture of rebellion is essential for long-term survival. #Palantir #ShyamSankar #Technology #Investing #DefenseTech #Manufacturing #Innovation #Engineering #AI #Leadership #mobilize Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:23 Defining Heretics in US Military History 8:36 Shyam’s Personal Disagreeableness 9:49 Formative Experiences & Worldview 12:52 What Makes America Exceptional 14:48 What Does Greatness Mean? 15:33 Alex Karp 16:46 How to Unlock Talent 19:21 Identifying Superpowers and Kryptonite 22:54 The Gamma Ray Moment 25:00 Palantir's Next 10 Years 27:03 Forward Deployed Engineering 33:40 Explaining What Palantir Is 37:50 Military vs. Commercial Customers 39:00 The State of the US Military Today 47:01 How to Re-Industrialize America 51:06 Perspective on China as an Adversary 56:17 How to Get More Heretics in Government 1:03:53 Managing Rapid Pivots & Momentum 1:08:48 Where Will AI Value Accrue? 1:13:33 Reasserting the Legitimacy of Institutions 1:15:54 To Do or To Be? 1:16:31 Reflecting on Fatherhood 1:17:34 Kindest Thing Presented by Ramp: https://ramp.com/invest Sponsored by Vanta, WorkOS, Rogo, and Ridgeline: https://www.vanta.com/invest https://workos.com/ https://rogo.ai/invest https://www.ridgelineapps.com/ ****** Patrick O'Shaughnessy is the CEO of Positive Sum. All opinions expressed by Patrick and podcast guests are solely their own and do not reflect the opinion of Positive Sum. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Clients of Positive Sum may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this podcast. To learn more, visit psum.vc
Deterrence has failed, America’s enemies are plotting, and the U.S. is unprepared for the future of war. In this conversation from the a16z American Dynamism Summit, Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar discusses how America can harness technology and mobilize the industrial base to stop World War III. He shares stories from Palantir’s years battling the bureaucracy and lays out a vision for rebuilding and reform, led by an army of innovative defense startups.
In this conversation, Shyam Sankar, chief technology officer at Palantir Technologies, discusses his new book Mobilize, his commission in the U.S. Army, and why he believes the most important thing America can do right now is inspire its latent heretics to step forward. He also breaks down how he thinks about the SaaS market under AI pressure, what the "alpha versus beta software" distinction means for which companies survive, and why he started a film production company. Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction 07:53 — Rebuilding the Industrial Base 18:01 — Joining the Army to Modernize 24:20 — The SaaS Apocalypse Debate 29:42 — Agency Over Automation 38:24 — Beating China Without Self Sabotage 40:42 — Film as Cultural Willpower 49:57 — Projects and Rickover Story Read the full transcript here: https://www.a16z.news/s/podcast Resources: Follow Shyam Sankar on X: https://x.com/ssankar Follow Katherine Boyle on X: https://x.com/KTmBoyle Follow Erik Torenberg on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.