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Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

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21–30 of 43 posts

Re: Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

#21
post #5

After all these years, I'm still not really sure what Palantir does exactly.

A police/security style organisation uses their tech to bring together / search across multiple data points.

It could be stuff like combining criminal records, speed cameras, CCTV records, etc into a single profile of a person. (as just an example)

Very powerful when set up correctly.

Re: Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

#22
post #5

After all these years, I'm still not really sure what Palantir does exactly.

It's funny, because every time someone posts a news article about Palantir, this is the top comment. And every time, the replies to that comment do a pretty good job describing what it is they do: * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10715856 * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9942606

It was helpful to read their own description:

https://www.palantir.com/2007/12/what-do-we-do/

But, for me, it was even more helpful to look at their patents:

http://patents.justia.com/assignee/palantir-technologies

Re: Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

#23
post #5

After all these years, I'm still not really sure what Palantir does exactly.

They're basically a consulting company with in-house platforms for data management. You pay $100k+ per core pricing for their analytics platform, then you pay thousands more for implementation 'ninjas', consultants, training etc. It's a mix between a services and a technology company targeted at government accounts.

Reminds me of Oracle or IBM.

Re: Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

#24

If it's unlikely that they'll go public, how do the investors hope to get their money (and more) back? I know there are other ways, but I don't have a feel for which kinds of arrangements would really be likely.

Out of curiosity, why wouldn't they go public ? Major govt contractors are public, Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, etc.

Re: Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

#25
post #5

After all these years, I'm still not really sure what Palantir does exactly.

The main use case I’ve come across is network analysis. After awhile in Iraq, the military realized killing people planting roadside bombs was stupid and ineffective since these were low level individuals sometimes doing it just for money to feed their families. The main focus shifted to building up a picture of larger enemy networks so they could be taken down in a more holistic fashion. McCrystal built the fusion cell concept [1, 2], bringing in intelligence from multiple agencies to build target packs of people and networks for operators to take down. I’ve never used the software, but I believe a key use was to help various agencies surface connections in the troves of data to build these target packs. Later, someone from the McCrystal consulting group [3] said they had a former CIA analyst who used the software to find hidden connections between people in a company, to uncover and reward the critical individuals who get things done outside the normal organization hierarchy. So again, network analysis, but directed toward finding super star employees instead of terrorists. I’m sure the software is more general then this and has other multiple other use cases, but this is the best of my second hand knowledge and seems to go along with what others have linked to here describing a node and vertices analysis tool

[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09... [2] http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a514114.pdf [3] http://mcchrystalgroup.com/

Re: Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

#26
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny, because every time someone posts a news article about Palantir, this is the top comment. And every time, the replies to that comment do a pretty good job describing what it is they do: * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10715856 * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9942606

It was helpful to read their own description: https://www.palantir.com/2007/12/what-do-we-do/ But, for me, it was even more helpful to look at their patents: http://patents.justia.com/assignee/palantir-technologies

A patent for a long left-click to show a context menu when the right mouse button for some reason isn't available? Sheesh. Some of these are enough to turn anyone into an anti-software-patent crusader.

Re: Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

#27
post #5

After all these years, I'm still not really sure what Palantir does exactly.

CIA contractor. On a side note, they were involved with HB Gary in an attempt to infiltrate and destroy Wikileaks.

One of their investors is In-Q-Tel, a CIA organization that's apparently designed to bring the best technology into the Agency's hands.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-Q-Tel

Re: Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

#28

If it's unlikely that they'll go public, how do the investors hope to get their money (and more) back? I know there are other ways, but I don't have a feel for which kinds of arrangements would really be likely.

Previous investors might be able to cash out in following rounds.

Re: Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

#29

If it's unlikely that they'll go public, how do the investors hope to get their money (and more) back? I know there are other ways, but I don't have a feel for which kinds of arrangements would really be likely.

Out of curiosity, why wouldn't they go public ? Major govt contractors are public, Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, etc.

I don't see why they wouldn't, but the OP says this:

"Palantir’s next step isn’t likely to be filing for an IPO as founder Alex Karp hasn’t been keen on that idea in the past"

After $2.32B in funding it hardly seems likely that the plan is to go another round and then IPO. Why would Karp be any keener on it then than now? That leaves the possibility of no IPO at all . . . hence the question.

Re: Palantir Has Raised $880M at a $20B Valuation

#30
post #28

If it's unlikely that they'll go public, how do the investors hope to get their money (and more) back? I know there are other ways, but I don't have a feel for which kinds of arrangements would really be likely.

Previous investors might be able to cash out in following rounds.

Doesn't that basically make it a Ponzi scheme?
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