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

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