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April 24, 2026

Palantir Calls on U.S. to Reinstate Draft in 22-Point "Supervillain" Manifesto Slammed by Critics
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The data-mining firm Palantir is calling on the United States to
reinstate the military draft, saying that "free and democratic
societies" need "hard power" to prevail. Palantir's call came as part of
a 22-point "manifesto" celebrating the virtues of U.S. power and warning
that Silicon Valley has lost its sense of direction. It also argues some
cultures are inferior to others, and blames Europe for demilitarizing
after World War II, arguing, "The postwar neutering of Germany and Japan
must be undone." The manifesto was based on the writings of Palantir's
chief executive Alex Karp. It prompted more than 200,000 people in the
United Kingdom to petition the government to break contracts with
Palantir, with some members of Parliament comparing it to the "ramblings
of a supervillain." Palantir is a major U.S. government contractor and
holds a contract with the U.S. Army worth up to $10 billion over the
next decade.

In more tech news, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Whats App and
Instagram, says it will lay off 10% of its workforce. CEO Mark
Zuckerberg has said he expects many of Meta's white-collar jobs to be
replaced by AI-powered systems. 


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