[statictype]

Does Palantir actually work?

My understanding is that they don't really have a product but have some tools and a lot of people who they put to work to provide solutions.

If so - they are essentially just doing bespoke project implementation work.

Is my understanding correct?

[hotnfresh]

My understanding from being close to but not directly connected with part of a company successfully infested by Palantir’s sales is that it’s a lot of “oh yeah our tools do everything” but then it turns out you’ll be needing to hire them for a lot of expensive development to get anything cool out of it, because it’s not actually a stand-out product that magically does all the stuff they’ll try to convince you it will.

Just another data platform, not much different from the others except better at convincing execs they are.

[mnky9800n]

This seems to be the way a lot of companies are organized. They have a data analysis product that can do everything you need no matter what that is. However, their product is actually a subscription service to their company to access what amounts to a list of their consultants who then implement some custom solution, for a price, into the platform.

Wouldn't it be easier to simply hire consultants directly?

[aussiegreenie]

One of the most successful sales stratergies for high end products is to sell "Black Magic", that is, procducts that are too complex to explain.

eg if you are selling a "hedge fund stratergy", you tell the client it is too hard for them or they are not large enough to invest. And they will fight to be included.

[Avshalom]

Palantir works great in as much as it is primarily meant to keep Peter Thiel in the same room as government officials. The software side of the project is by all accounts a pretty generic contracting business and works about as well as any other contractor.

[rabbits77]

After Doug Lenat passed away recently I also got the impression that Cycorp has been sustained for the past four decades with that exact business model.

At the end of the day customers have a working solution, but it’s all developed and operated in a completely bespoke way each time.