John West
Alexander Karp and Nicholas Zamiska make a strong case for strengthening the United States’ standing in the tech world. In their recent book—The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West—they argue that:
The United States since its founding has always been a technological republic, one whose place in the world has been made possible and advanced by its capacity for innovation. But our present advantage cannot be taken for granted.
Both authors are executives at Palantir Technologies, a prominent US-based software and artificial intelligence company. Karp is chief executive and co-founder (entrepreneur Peter Thiel is the other co-founder), while Zamiska is head of corporate affairs and legal counsel to the CEO.
Karp and Zamiska are committed to defending the West and see this defence as a key mission of Palantir. They also believe that the new era of advanced AI provides geopolitical adversaries with a great opportunity to challenge the US global standing.
A key argument of the book is that ‘Silicon Valley has lost its way’. The initial growth of Silicon Valley—a region in California associated with technological development—came from Pentagon funding during the 1950s and 1960s. The subsequent boost to technological innovation strengthened US security during the Cold War.
Today, the sector should be refocusing its efforts on helping the US retain its global edge in the technological arms race with China. Instead, it is fixating on the consumer market, prioritising projects such as video-sharing apps, social media platforms, advertising algorithms and online shopping websites.
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