Episode · Behind the Bastards · 2026-08-13
Books mentioned on Part Two: Alex Karp: How Palantir's CEO Went From Marxist To Anti-Woke Crusader
With Palantir now off the ground, Alex Karp turns himself into the spokesman and salesman for Palantir, a company that threatens to destroy everything he pretends to believe in. See omnystudio.
Robert Evans discussed The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil and The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright. Zaren Bernett recommended The Man Who Stole the Gods by Matthew Campbell.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Singularity Is Near
Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity Is Near is a prominent techno-futurist book exploring the merging of humans and artificial intelligence and the technological singularity.
Discussed“in order to help their new boss fit in, several software guys handed Karp a copy of Ray Kerszswhile's The Singularity is Near.”
Where to get it
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The Looming Tower
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright is a sweeping non-fiction history chronicling the origins of the war on terror, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, and the path to the September 11 attacks.
Discussed“Over time, Alex added some of his favorite books to the list of books that new Palunteerians would get. This included improv, which is a guide to improvisational theater that I guess he felt is like a good guide to creativity, and the looming tower, which is a book about how 9/11 happened by Lawrence Wright.”
Where to get it
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The Man Who Stole the Gods
The Man Who Stole the Gods by Matthew Campbell is an investigative true crime book that explores illicit art trafficking, cultural heritage theft, and international smuggling networks operating against the backdrop of historical conflicts.
Recommended“On ridiculous crime, we have an interesting two-part interview with the author Matthew Campbell about his book, The Man Who Stole the Gods. And it's all about the Cambodian civil war, Vietnam, and some some, you know, art collectors who use that chaos to pull statuary out of places like Anchorwat and then sell it in New York and give”
Where to get it
