Meet the Local Tech Company Making Millions From ICE and Israel

Palestinian solidarity protesters interrupted two congressional town halls in the metro area last week, calling attention to Rep. Jason Crow and Senator Michael Bennet’s support for Israel, but also the role of one of Denver’s largest and most mysterious companies: Palantir Technologies. So we’re revisiting a conversation producer Paul Karolyi had a few years ago with Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Max Chafkin about his reporting on the defense contractor’s co-founder Peter Thiel, how Palantir makes money, and why it moved to Denver in 2020. 

This episode first aired on October 18, 2021. 

Chafkin’s biography of Peter Thiel is called “The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power.” Host Bree Davies mentioned two stories about former Palantir workers — one about a group of employees who sent an open letter to NPR and another from More Perfect Union about a former worker who became disillusioned about the company. 

What do you think about Palantir? We want to know what you think about our new neighbor! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

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Learn more about the other sponsors of this June 2nd episode:

• Denver Botanic Gardens
• Xcel Energy
• Denver Fringe Festival

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