Palantir shares controversial 22-point manifesto calling for 'hard power built on software'

Palantir Technologies shared a 1,000-word social media post summarizing the main points of CEO Alex Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska's 2025 book "The Technological Republic," which presents a stark vision of Western technological dominance. The 22-point manifesto argues that "hard power in this century will be built on software" and calls for Silicon Valley to participate more actively in national defense. The statement, described by Engadget as "both bizarre and deeply concerning," includes assertions that "national service should be a universal duty" and that "the postwar neutering of Germany and Japan must be undone." It also claims that "some cultures have produced vital advances; others remain dysfunctional and regressive" while criticizing what it calls "the shallow temptation of a vacant and hollow pluralism." Other points in the manifesto state that "the question is not whether A.I. weapons will be built; it is who will build them and for what purpose" and that "the atomic age is ending, and a new era of deterrence built on A.I. is set to begin." The document argues Silicon Valley "owes a moral debt to the country that made its rise possible" and has an "affirmative obligation to participate in the defense of the nation." The manifesto also criticizes "the ruthless exposure of the private lives of public figures" which it says drives talent away from government service, and calls for showing "far more grace towards those who have subjected themselves to public life." It argues that "the elite's intolerance of religious belief" represents a "less open intellectual movement than many within it would claim." Palantir, known for supplying AI-driven defense and surveillance software to U.S. government agencies including the Army, ICE, and NYPD, bills the book as "a passionate call for the West to wake up to our new reality." The social media post presents the complete 22-point summary of the #1 New York Times bestseller.