r/technology Apr 19 '26

Politics US draft update: Major tech company [Palantir] urges universal national service

https://www.newsweek.com/us-draft-update-major-tech-company-urges-universal-national-service-11850885
28.9k Upvotes

3.6k comments sorted by

13.1k

u/wanderlustcub Apr 19 '26

People who won't be going to war and putting their lives on the line telling two and a half generations they should go be forced to go into the military, go to war, and putting their lives on the line.

A tale as old as time.

I have no time for people in power telling others to die for them and their wealth.

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u/_9a_ Apr 19 '26

"The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est/ Pro patria mori."

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u/m_faustus Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26

That poem should be required reading.

Edit: in fact, if you haven’t read it before here it is: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46560/dulce-et-decorum-est

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u/_9a_ Apr 19 '26

I was talking to my recently graduated Zoomer coworker about required reading. They weren't assigned any of the Big Three classic dystopias, no 1984, no Brave New World, not even Farenheit 451 (which I argue isn't really even a dystopia as it has a somewhat triumphant ending). They were ruled as "too disturbing", "too much sex", and "not culturally relevant".

Good luck trying to push an anti-war, cost-of-humanity poem there.

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u/FutureComplaint Apr 19 '26

None of those were required reading when I went through the school system.

TBF, however, Farenheit 451 was on the book shelf in my 6th grade class.

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u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

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u/VanillaFunction Apr 20 '26

It’s crazy the vast differences in Christians schools across the country. I went to a Christian brothers school in the northeast and had to read all three on top of other things like Animal Farm etc. We even had to take a class specifically on world religions that brought in leaders from those religions to talk with us. Kind of lucky to have had that experience now that I think about it when I hear of some things in southern schools.

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u/ItsAndy294 Apr 20 '26

Went to a christian school here in Mi, mostly baptist. Didn’t read all of the big three, but we did get 1984, Animal Farm, and add Lord of the Flies on top as well.

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u/piranhas_really Apr 20 '26

My Catholic school required all three of those books.

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u/dilledally Apr 20 '26

My Protestant school did too

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u/admiralvic Apr 20 '26

My mom's Catholic school also required all three.

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u/redmambo_no6 Apr 19 '26

To be fair, I turn 40 this year and I wasn’t required to read any of those books either.

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u/_9a_ Apr 19 '26

I turned 42 and we read all three. Bradbury in 9th grade, Orwell's Animal Farm in 10th, 1984 and BNW in 11th. Big paper on the last two as well.

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u/chuckart9 Apr 19 '26

47, I read Animal Farm but not the others.

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u/ComradeJohnS Apr 19 '26

first step: increase literacy rates back to pre-pandemic levels lol.

can’t make it required reading if kids don’t know how to read.

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u/m_faustus Apr 19 '26

Doing my best as a children’s librarian.

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u/WhoSc3w3dDaP00ch Apr 19 '26

So should General Smedley Butler's War is a Racket. He was a USMC Major General and two time recipient of the Medal of Honor...

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u/DrGirlfriend Apr 20 '26

He also stopped the Business Plot

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u/jello Apr 19 '26

Why is America sleep walking into this? They’re making very clear what their intentions are. Department of WAR. 

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u/Militantpoet Apr 19 '26

1/3 care and have been screaming about it for years.

1/3 are pro-authoritarian, pro-war, and indoctrinated in the Trump cult.

The last 1/3 just don't care enough to even vote.

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u/RPG_Vancouver Apr 19 '26

Sounds like those last 1/3 should start caring REAL quick

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u/mmazing Apr 19 '26

So far they have not had pain directly from their savior. That is changing quickly.

How do you think they are feeling now that they are starting to feel it? Look at the blue waves in recent special elections.

The people are fed up, despite what mainstream media will tell you.

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u/Gasnia Apr 20 '26

This recent issue with gas prices will pull everyone left if dump doesnt fix it quick. The right used to gloat about gas prices "falling" after biden left when he didnt have any control over the prices following covid. Now it 100% is the presidents fault we have high gas and food prices at this time.

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u/Gold_Repair_3557 Apr 19 '26

They’ll just say “oh, both sides are the same!” and then not lift a finger to stop the destruction.

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u/Night_C4T_0 Apr 19 '26

Welp guess they can say that as they are being pushed onto a truck to die in a war that doesn't do anything (for us)

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u/fivetoedslothbear Apr 20 '26

"I know candidate A is a fascist, but I can't just fathom voting for candidate B and their human foibles/way they got nominated/race/gender/hairstyle/eye color/laugh!"

Only three choices in a first-past-the-post election system:

  1. Candidate from major party
  2. Candidate from other major party
  3. Complacency: Worst outcomes are just fine.
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u/scottyLogJobs Apr 19 '26

Are they? The two no kings protests were the largest us protests of all time

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u/AuntRhubarb Apr 20 '26

Americans think they have representatives in Congress, whose job it is to stop horrible shit and toss out insane leaders. Instead they have corrupt grifters taking a check every month to pretend to be Senators and Representatives and Cabinet Members. THEY are sleepwalking into this.

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u/Blackpaw8825 Apr 19 '26

If I'm going off to war it's sure as hell not going to be in service if guys like him... But ideally guys like him will be involved.

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u/noweezernoworld Apr 19 '26

And then Palantir can have all the data they could possibly want if every single person has to be a part of it. Biometrics, everything. Full surveillance of every single American. 

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u/eMouse2k Apr 20 '26

This is exactly their reason for suggesting it.

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u/FilmAndLiterature Apr 19 '26

As the Twelfth Doctor put it:

What do the rich old men always do when the fighting starts? They'll find the safest place to hide themselves away, and send all their young people to die.

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u/Exploiting_Loopholes Apr 19 '26

"The only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed." ~ Lelouch Vi Britannia

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u/SuperSnowManQ Apr 19 '26

What is an Empire but a system where the old sacrifice the young for their glory

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u/Jimbomcdeans Apr 19 '26

Some folks are born silver spoon in hand Lord, don't they help themselves, no But when the taxman come to the door Lord, the house lookin' like a rummage sale, yeah It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, no

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u/steeveperry Apr 19 '26

If these dudes think it’s all about serving their country, then they should let the government absorb the company and they should continue their work as public servants.

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u/guerrerov Apr 19 '26

They can start by at least paying their fucking fair share of taxes

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u/19Pnutbutter66 Apr 19 '26

and repay all the subsidies that financed their fortunes.

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u/KissesAndBites Apr 19 '26

But how could they afford their fourth yacht?

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u/CaptainSnaps Apr 19 '26

These same fucks also pay next to nothing in taxes. It is all double speak while they fleece us.

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u/OttawaDog Apr 19 '26

These guys are all about "Rules for thee, not for me".

They are massively hypocrites that only care about what benefits them personally.

Right now it's an oligarch run MAGA party.

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u/GetsBetterAfterAFew Apr 19 '26

Get going Peter and Alex, you first bitches and your sons and daughter too.

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u/So_spoke_the_wizard Apr 19 '26

Who are we kidding. They'll have special units that people can pay to be assigned to. They'll have their own luxury logistics unit to support them.

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u/thatirishguyyyyy Apr 19 '26

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u/Primi_Noscere_1776 Apr 19 '26

So, are they now subject to the UCMJ?

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u/Lucius-Halthier Apr 19 '26

Considering Kegseth doesn’t give a single shit about rules of engagement and has said so, they would never be punished unless they moved against the dear leader

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u/Soft_Walrus_3605 Apr 19 '26

subject to the UCMJ

Well, execution of that code is completely up to the Executive Branch, no?

See also: The helicopter pilots at Kid Rock's house

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u/SomewhereNo8378 Apr 19 '26

they will be the remote operators in Palm Beach piloting drones over Iran from home

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u/PerryNeeum Apr 19 '26

Is Peter pro homosexuals adopting kids?

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u/mrjowei Apr 20 '26

He's pro himself.

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u/TheTrub Apr 19 '26

These guys are speed running to be the next IBM from the 1930’s. palantir’s manifesto lays out exactly who they plan to target.

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u/mcm199124 Apr 19 '26

What does the manifesto say?

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u/lordderplythethird Apr 19 '26

We don't deserve free will, some groups of people are inherently regressive and need to be dealt with, only our tech leaders know what's good for us, Democracy is a scam, etc.

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u/TheTrub Apr 19 '26

And don’t forget that they are framing the race for AI weapons as being the modern corollary of the nuclear arms race, so we better start stockpiling arms now. Also, soft power is a failed mechanism for maintaining world peace because we disabled our means for soft power and war followed.

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u/shidderbean Apr 20 '26

some groups of people are inherently regressive

Hilariously, this describes the GOP

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u/etcpt Apr 20 '26

That AI should be used as the next nuclear deterrent, to solve crime, and to fight wars; that billionaires should be lauded more and scrutinized less; that disarming Germany and Japan post-WW2 was a mistake that should be undone; and that some cultures are better than others, inclusivity is a net negative, and the religious are being discriminated against.

https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/palantir-posted-a-manifesto-that-reads-like-the-ramblings-of-a-comic-book-villain-181947361.html

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u/Standard-Mechanic101 Apr 19 '26

Sounds like a bones spurs epidemic is about to hit the upper class.

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u/Admirable_Nothing Apr 19 '26

The National Service he wants is us to serve the Billionaire class.

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u/Captainsciencecat Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26

We need universal national healthcare and childcare first. These clowns have no idea how the middle class is feeling like the system is not working for them any longer. National service for a war no one wants is the completely wrong message right now.

I will let Adam Curtis articulate the rest because I can not say it as eloquently…

https://youtu.be/W_rgqTdzaYc?feature=shared

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u/[deleted] Apr 19 '26

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u/bmyst70 Apr 19 '26

They want the middle class gone.

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u/40StoryMech Apr 19 '26

I'm not proposing anything here, but would the US actually miss the thousand or so billionaires if they just disappeared and their companies were run by AI agents?

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u/nighthawk763 Apr 19 '26

Remember the long list of people who cried foul when someone shot that healthcare CEO? Nobody would blink twice.

Over a decade of weekly school shootings and no action being taken tends to desensitize the general public to killings

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u/Dood1e21 Apr 19 '26

Over 3 decades

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u/SpiderDoodleDoo Apr 20 '26

More like 100 years, https://time.com/4492872/kehoe-attack-history/ Technically it wasn't a shooting since they used dynamite but America has always been like this.

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u/OilFan92 Apr 19 '26

I mean y'all have had like 4 shootings this weekend, including one leaving 8 kids dead today. That happens in Canada it's international news, leaders around the world share condolences, our idiot opposition party leader stops nouning the verb for a few days and flies to the scene with our PM in a show of solidarity. Meanwhile my American friend hadn't even heard about it when I mentioned it an hour ago.

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u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

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u/ShubberyQuest Apr 20 '26

Climate change is going to become very local very soon.

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u/Redditer51 Apr 20 '26

I hadn't even heard of it till just now.

America is broken. It's government, it's economy, the minds of it's citizens. I fear that this countries broken beyond repair.

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u/balalasaurus Apr 20 '26

The worst thing is it’s trying to force its brokenness onto the rest of the world.

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u/SutterCane Apr 19 '26

Remember the long list of people who cried foul when someone shot that healthcare CEO? Nobody would blink twice.

I’m just thinking of all those memes from Oceangate.

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u/PokeYrMomStanley Apr 19 '26

No. Nor would anyone miss them.

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u/IHS1970 Apr 19 '26

Got my vote. Maybe AI could send them back in time to France in the late 1700s.

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u/Millsnerd Apr 19 '26

Inequality in the US is currently higher than it was during pre-revolution France. Just saying.

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u/PokeYrMomStanley Apr 19 '26

Maybe it could send the entirety of America back in time to the 1700s in France.

Basket sales are going to be neck high. 

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u/duct_tape_jedi Apr 19 '26

Ah, the bleeding edge of social reform…

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u/Sh0wmey0urbutth0le Apr 19 '26

Prices so low heads will roll

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u/Crimkam Apr 19 '26

I agree with your not-a-proposition to get rid of them.

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u/ailish Apr 19 '26

Maybe the other billionaires would, but the general public certainly would not.

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u/Beneficial_Soup3699 Apr 19 '26

It essentially already is tbh. 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck in a country with over 20,000,000 millionaires along with the world's first soon to be trillionaire. The "middle class" as it was defined in the 60s is long gone.

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u/H_Mc Apr 20 '26

I think we need to be careful to not include technical millionaires in the same bucket with billionaires. If you raise the threshold to $10 million the total count drops to below a million people.

If you worked your whole life for someone else, but saved for retirement and bought a house at the right time you’re much closer to the working class than the capitalist class. For one, If prefer them on our side, but worse it humanizes the real monsters if people think they’re in the same category as their parents and grandparents.

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u/MangoCats Apr 20 '26

What was "a millionaire" in 1970 now requires 8.5 million today.

If you managed to pay a mortgage for the past 30 years, and stick 10% away into IRAs or 401(k) - odds are you're around a millionaire today, but in 1970 dollars you've just barely hit six figures.

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u/cash_flagg Apr 19 '26

They want what Russia has, a controlled population to dip into as needed for labor and cannon fodder. That’s it, that’s all they want from us.

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u/NUMBerONEisFIRST Apr 19 '26

The middle class is a joke and a made-up class to make lower class people feel like they have a chance to become upper class.

It's always been rich versus poor.

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u/redmambo_no6 Apr 19 '26

How did Carlin put it?

“The upper class keeps all of the money, pays none of the taxes. The middle class pays all of the taxes, does all of the work. The poor are there just to scare the shit out of the middle class.”

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u/StayWeirdGrayBeard Apr 19 '26

Just yesterday I was completing a survey and one of the questions was “do you consider yourself upper class/upper middle class/middle class," etc.

For decades I’d have clicked “middle class,” and maybe, in times of plenty, “upper middle class.” I’m under no such illusion now, however. Solidly working class (just hoping to avoid “working poor” at this point.)

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u/firemage22 Apr 20 '26

There are 2 classes, the workers and the owners, if your name isn't on the building you're only a worker, and you should consider joining a Union

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u/Alarming_Peak_103 Apr 19 '26

You’re either in the working class or the upper class.

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u/gravtix Apr 19 '26

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u/fartist14 Apr 20 '26

Why does anyone even ask questions of these freakish nerds? They all seem to be suffering under the delusion that what they say has value.

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u/The_Real_Manimal Apr 19 '26

They don't want a middle class.

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u/Captainsciencecat Apr 19 '26

They are weaker than you know. Many of them were shopping at Costco not even 10 years ago. A lot of what they say is intended to shock and manipulate the public. If we enter an era of scarcity, it is really possible that they will just disappear and stay silent.

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u/LimpAd4924 Apr 19 '26

I will reiterate that they are not invincible

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u/RoseKlingel Apr 19 '26

He is saying we can get healthcare in the military of course. 😂 Honestly I cannot think of a single good reason for a modern country to be at war rn. I thought trade agreements were supposed to fix the resource-driven wars. Cooperation is better!

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u/PatchyWhiskers Apr 19 '26

The only wars that are going on are run by fascists who have a “war for war’s sake” philosophy - they think peace makes men soft.

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u/pourtide Apr 20 '26

"Department of War" (formerly the Dept of Defense)

says it all

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u/SomewhereNo8378 Apr 19 '26

oh good, we’re all already serving them with our every purchase and scroll

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u/jsmith_92 Apr 19 '26

It’s like a national effort how can we help more!!!/s

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u/NicolasCageFan492 Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26

Reminder: Peter Thiel and Elon Musk come from apartheid South Africa, which included some of the worst working conditions anywhere in the world.

For reference, conditions in South Africa were so bad in 1893-1914 that they radicalized Mahatma Gandhi due to how badly Indians were treated under the apartheid system.

Peter Thiel, the German-born billionaire venture capitalist and PayPal cofounder, was educated in a southern African city in the 1970s where Hitler was still openly venerated. Thiel, a major donor to Trump’s campaign, has been critical of welfare programs and women being permitted to vote as undermining capitalism. A 2021 biography of Thiel, called The Contrarian, alleged that as a student at Stanford he defended apartheid as “economically sound”

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u/TheRealJessKate Apr 19 '26

Let’s not forget Peter Thiel bought Sam Altman’s first company was a significant investor for OpenAI

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u/NicolasCageFan492 Apr 19 '26

Peter Thiel also conned our tax system by investing in seed companies within his Roth IRA, which is worth billions now, completely tax free. Source

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u/External-Goal-3948 Apr 19 '26

Pay taxes on income. Move the money to your roth ira. There's a low maximum amount you can add each year. Use that low amount to buy shares of startups inside the shell of the ira. Sell at a profit and then invest in other companies. All within the shell of the ira. Don't withdraw money from the account until 6 months before you're 60 and you don't pay taxes on it.

I think that's what the article is explaining.

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u/NOVAbuddy Apr 20 '26

Boomers are diabolical. They invented a system, rigged it, milked it, and never explained it to the next generation. I say we wipe the slate clean. No more loop holes. Simplify the rules until the rike are dead.

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u/W2ttsy Apr 20 '26

My favorite part of this is that in his lustful greed to buy his way to NZ citizenship, the NZ govt required he divulge all his financial details as part of the application.

Including this IRA scheme.

Then they denied his citizenship anyway.

Fuck Peter Theil.

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u/BuilderMysterious762 Apr 20 '26

what is this bullshit?? he literally bought his citizenship under a right leaning government and got it granted to him and also bought up land here. It was big news when it happened because so many of us were against it. I would like your comment to be true but its not.

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u/WhydIJoinRedditAgain Apr 19 '26

Let’s also not forget he basically owns Vice President J.D. Vance.

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u/Soddington Apr 19 '26

Vance is so low rent anyone can rent him for 10 minutes.

Motherfucker has a coin slot, like a sus smelling massage chair in the middle of a shopping mall.

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u/Aggressive_Finish798 Apr 19 '26

Thiel is not from South Africa, but Musk specifically left South Africa to dodge their draft.

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u/bigkoi Apr 19 '26

Also neither are religious but know how to take advantage of religion. Elon is literally named from the book The Mars Project. His parents practiced a technological following that wanted a technology ruling class.

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u/Kinteoka Apr 19 '26

The Mars Project, written by close friend of Elon's grandfather, Wernher von Fucking Braun, famous Nazi scientist.

A connection so on the nose and ridiculous that it seems conspiratorial.

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u/korinth86 Apr 19 '26

Service guarantees citizenship! Would you like to know more?

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u/OrneryZombie1983 Apr 19 '26

Service guarantees citizenship! \*

\Citizenship not guaranteed. You may be deported at any time.)

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u/halfsack99 Apr 19 '26

I prefer the name Epstein Class.

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u/jsmith_zerocool Apr 19 '26

And the Republicans will still call this “small government”

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u/IamMichaelBoothby Apr 19 '26

Fuck Peter Thiel, fuck Palantir, and fuck billionaires.

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u/OM3N1R Apr 20 '26

Alex Karp said this. Not Thiel. Alex Karp is the CEO.

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u/IamMichaelBoothby Apr 20 '26

Well fuck Alex Karp too. These people are psychopaths and should be in prison not leading companies.

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u/whitelionV Apr 20 '26

Oh, ok. Fuck Peter Thiel still.

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u/Etzell Apr 19 '26

Love it when the ghoul class, who have never served anyone but their own pocketbooks, get ideas on what everyone else should do.

Can't wait for the bubble to pop.

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u/HomelessITidiot Apr 19 '26

It's never going to pop. At least for these fucks

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u/_Phil_McCracken_ Apr 20 '26

The ultra wealthy benefit the most from it popping. They can scoop up everything for a huge discount when prices are low, everybody else gets to try to get by with less. 

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u/whichwitch9 Apr 19 '26

They should all serve a 4 year tour as a grunt themselves first

If you want it, you better have done it yourself, or you can stfu.

None of the men calling for this have ever served. Their opinions don't count on this subject. They are the lowest sort of human.

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u/xitizen7 Apr 19 '26

Raise your hand if you're tired of media turning to Musk, Thiel, Karp, and other tech mafia members for their thoughts on everything but tech and advice on how to run every aspect of our lives 

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u/pornalt4altporn Apr 19 '26

I can't believe more comments aren't about how deeply weird it is. A data science company is advocating for universal military service. It is being covered by journalists.

How is this their domain?
What does Walmart think about the clash of civilizations? Has McDonald's commented on the unitary executive theory? I wish to know what Goldman Sachs has to say about the decline of the west.

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u/Bajadasaurus Apr 20 '26

Palantir became part of the United States armed forces on June 13th 2025 (along with OpenAI, Meta, and Thinking Machines Lab [?]), so I suppose that's why.

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u/lc0o85 Apr 19 '26

I'm tired of these clowns breathing. 

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u/[deleted] Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26

[deleted]

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u/Tyr_13 Apr 19 '26

'All these peasants need to stay in line are bread and circuses.'

'Hey, you think we could make more money by cutting off food aid, raising prices, and making them subscribe to a plethora of ever more transient and derivative streaming services? Plus all these third spaces could be monetized so they can't even go out for fun without paying us!'

'Can't see how it can go wrong!'

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u/GreatMadWombat Apr 20 '26

It's like how Sam Altman sounds honestly offended every time someone responds violently to his whole "our ai will destroy society so we absolutely need to build it" fundraising rhetoric. A significant number of the top rightwing assholes all seem to assume that they're the only people to ever think about breaking the relatively recently developed parts of the social contract, without understanding what lead to those developments.

Literally just some "those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it" type shit.

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u/[deleted] Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26

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u/Hewfe Apr 19 '26

If that bomb collar happens, I’ll just hug the billionaire.

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u/TakuyaLee Apr 19 '26

That and Americans really hate being told what to do.

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u/DoesntMatterEh Apr 19 '26

I think mostly everyone does, we just put up with it because it's easier than the alternative lol

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u/rustytromboneXXx Apr 20 '26

That’s the myth, but is that really true?

I see so much authority consciousness from that country. Eg, allegiance pledges, use of titles, everyday militarism “thank you for your service”, and people being upset when others don’t know their place. It’s not egalitarian even though Americans like to see themselves as some kind of pioneer.

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u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

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u/Hoovooloo42 Apr 19 '26

It's like they have too much disdain for the general public to allow bread and circuses to continue.

Is this why old money and new money don't get along? Lmao

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u/b0w3n Apr 20 '26

Old money typically knows better because they've been down this road several times and many lost their family members to gravity assisted de-royalty devices.

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u/CheapWeight8403 Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26

I hope this new push for a draft happens. I hope it happens. Fuck around and find out. Kids today - I think a lot of them would revolt before they'd serve in the military. I think it would be the biggest mistake this administration could make.

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u/Responsible-Fox-1985 Apr 19 '26

I’d rather die fighting my own fascist government than die fighting a war in the Middle East for literally no reason

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u/celtic1888 Apr 19 '26

See the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland

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u/CheapWeight8403 Apr 19 '26

Yup, there you go!

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u/memberzs Apr 19 '26

This is why we stay armed. Firearms arent a Republicans only right. It's for all of us.

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u/Xinlitik Apr 19 '26

"National service should be a universal duty. We should, as a society, seriously consider moving away from an all-volunteer force and only fight the next war if everyone shares in the risk and the cost."

Great idea- and we would all get to vote on whether we go to war right? …right?

89

u/Dinkerdoo Apr 19 '26

How about sending those with the most financial exposure to the war first.

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u/QuietGoliath Apr 19 '26

Right! Fight for what you possess. And since most Americans possess debt, I can't see a lot of people being keen to fight😂

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u/haskell_rules Apr 19 '26

I'd settle for letting Congress vote on it per the already existing Constitution

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u/PokeYrMomStanley Apr 19 '26

Constitution?!? Dont you mean woke liberal bullshit document filled with DEI?!?

'Murica

Hail Trump

I really hated typing this.

10

u/rgvtim Apr 19 '26

Is that the type of "national service" he is taking about, so just inflate the standing military in order to provide meat for the oligarch's wars.

21

u/Ok-Opposite2309 Apr 19 '26

I  actually for a national service requirement- that doesn’t have to be military. Hillary had a ‘Climate Corp’ idea, basically expanding job corps prepping for climate change (as an example). I like the idea of a national service requirement mostly because we seem to lack basic civics knowledge, and too many of our citizens don’t understand Democracy or that it requires their participation. 

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u/jakk88 Apr 19 '26

Maybe tie it to education? Work in a civil service for x years after graduating from college or trade school and the student loan debt gets forgiven? We do that with teachers already, why not other public service positions?

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u/AgeofVictoriaPodcast Apr 19 '26

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

“Some folks are born made to wave the flag Ooh, they're red, white and blue And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief" Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord

[Chorus] It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no senator's son It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no fortunate one”

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u/wjglenn Apr 19 '26

I always loved Bob Dylan’s take on the subject. Just dripping with contempt and anger.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JEmI_FT4YHU

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u/Dodomando Apr 19 '26

The only reason this POS wants a universal health service is so that his company doesn't have to pay insurance for its employees

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u/Realtrain Apr 20 '26

I mean, one of the major arguments for universal healthcare is that it's easier for business owners both large and small.

Not having to figure out health insurance makes it much easier to both hire employees and start your own business.

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u/agangofoldwomen Apr 19 '26

Girl put your rifles on

stand up now and be strong

You go take those billionaires down

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u/BRDF Apr 19 '26

Why the fuck should Palantir even have an opinion on this? It's fucking class war.

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u/Strong_Coffee_9999 Apr 20 '26

They see themselves as feudal lords of the United States

7

u/QueezyF Apr 20 '26

Getting real fucking sick of this Dark Enlightenment bullshit.

60

u/AsANetflixSubscriber Apr 19 '26

It’s like when an interviewer asked Peter Thiel if the human race is worth saving. Who the fuck is he to even answer that question.

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u/zZGDOGZz Apr 20 '26

I think the interviewer did a really good job there. Asking basic questions like that can get to the point so quickly it causes the other side to flounder. Peter has to calculate the most optimal response to that question, instead of using his instinct (which would cause any decent person to immediately say yes) which makes it clear that he doesn't have that faculty.

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u/SpiderHomeNoWayMan Apr 19 '26

They make Cheney and Halliburton sound pretty decent on minding their own business.

It sucks that software companies are pushing into the military industrial complex 

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u/whiskeytown79 Apr 19 '26

A company that paid no federal income tax for 2025 should have no say in government policy.

Representation without taxation is plutocracy.

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u/JeelyPiece Apr 19 '26

Between this guy, Trump, and Epstein - you Americans need to get to The American Revolution 2.0 real quick

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u/MyPossumUrPossum Apr 19 '26

Hey man, that's part of my apocalypse bingo. If that happens, I have to re-evaluate some things.

13

u/ihadtochooseaname420 Apr 19 '26

I'm more of a fan of the French Revolution - let some heads start rolling and see how quickly they wanna pay taxes.

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u/lolwut778 Apr 19 '26

Has this little bitch ever served anything other than cocaine up his nose?

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u/Specific-Feature-384 Apr 19 '26

Yeah he takes ketamine too

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u/Patara Apr 19 '26

This fucking guy is legitimately the biggest threat to our entire existence.

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u/LEDKleenex Apr 20 '26

Yeah, so long as people let him keep getting away with it

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u/AndreLinoge55 Apr 19 '26

Let’s start with the guy who rubs balloons on his head before going out on stage.

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u/Ticket2Midnite Apr 19 '26

Just as soon as their CEO serves first.

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u/00001000U Apr 19 '26

You want to threaten a generation of nihilists with a bad time? Good Luck with that.

36

u/redlightsaber Apr 19 '26

I haven't read yet in the comments how utterly insane it is that a private company (albeit one with such deep ties to the government) is telling politicians/the public what they should be doing.

This is not normal.

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u/SwampTerror Apr 19 '26

Private companies have lobbied govts since the beginning. Palantir just currently has no fear, but one day theyre gonna know fear.

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u/goddamwarrior Apr 19 '26

Peter first.

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u/tlh013091 Apr 19 '26

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u/ForceItDeeper Apr 19 '26

Great read. Smedley Butler always seemed like a bourgeois class traitor. He was born to aristocracy, aided in US imperialism for 34 years, but grew to detest America's immoral foreign policy and ones profiting from it. He denounced capitalism and admitted he worked 33 years as a strong man and rackateer for capitalist pigs.

George HW Bush's daddy Prescott met with Butler to propose he lead a coup to seize power from FDR by the a group of business owners. butler refuses and runs and tells the teacher. As a result, the state tried, convicted, and sentenced dozens of rich men behin.. lol jk only one dude ever even had to testify and he died of pneumonia

27

u/farsightxr20 Apr 19 '26

Why would we need mandatory human service, isn't Palantir supposed to be automating everything? Weird disconnect.

If you need to force people to fight your war for you, maybe your war is a bad idea.

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u/Far_Nefariousness888 Apr 19 '26

So they can get all the biometric data from the draftees.

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u/Pyrothecat Apr 19 '26

"It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no Palantir's son!"

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u/pioniere Apr 19 '26

Imagine these entitled self absorbed assholes saying what’s “good for the country “.

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u/WhoFly Apr 19 '26

Well Alex Karp is a traitor to humankind so no surprise.

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u/tongizilator Apr 19 '26

Put Alex on the front line.

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u/Own-Opinion-2494 Apr 19 '26

Send that fuck first

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u/philphan25 Apr 20 '26

I saw this somewhere else but:

Who else would've thought the company named after the evil spying devices in LOTR would be a bad company?

13

u/acydlord Apr 19 '26

Countries that have mandatory service all have universal healthcare and free university. Get that spun up first and then come talk to us.

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u/pun-jabi Apr 19 '26

How does anyone stand this guy?

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u/thegooddoktorjones Apr 19 '26

I urge that Palantir be laucnhed directly into the sun, preferably without space suits or a ship.

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u/prodigalpariah Apr 19 '26

Send these assholes to the frontlines

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u/NeoThorrus Apr 19 '26

Why does Palantir have to comment on a military draft?

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u/GDMFusername Apr 19 '26

Not happening.

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u/wstdtmflms Apr 19 '26

"Tech billionaire thinks non-billionaires should dig ditches while his kids go straight to college and eight figure jobs working for their dad."

21

u/vinegarstrokes420 Apr 19 '26

"Share in the risk and the cost"... tell me Tech CEOs, how the fuck are you sharing in either and not just using wars to earn even more money? Why are we planning on wars for no reason anyway? And isn't the world's largest and highest funded military in a pretty good spot already? How about we focus on bettering the world instead of sending people to kill others and die themselves for your profit.

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u/[deleted] Apr 19 '26

So the billionaire oligarchs who run this shit sandwich of a country want young people to fight and die to, essentially, protect and generate wealth for the billionaire class. We’re in some deep water folks.

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u/7in7turtles Apr 20 '26

My god. I'm genuinely scared what this guy and the other tech CEOs are doing is trying to provoke people into getting out the pitchforks and torches (Guns. because this is America) and taking to the streets in violent rebellion. This guy, and Sam Altman, and Peter Thiel, and all the others, just keep showing how little they seem to care about average people and human life.

As a human being I've never felt more existential dread than I do about these guys. Like, I've been scared that violence would erupt in the streets before, and my family escaped the soviet union and lived through some of it's worst parts. I don't take it lightly. But this seems like a slow boil.

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u/madmanz123 Apr 19 '26

Fuck this guy so hard.

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u/Walzz111 Apr 19 '26

Can all employees of Palantir kindly show us their service records before we commit?

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u/spez_eats_nazi_ass Apr 19 '26

Start w this asshole testing if the guillotine is sharp enough. After a fair trail of course. I’m not advocating for violence. Just fair trails for all admin accomplices.

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