Palantir’s stockmarket prospectus reveals both losses and promise
A secretive software-maker says hello to the stockmarket—and goodbye to Silicon Valley
“ONE NEVER really knows who one’s enemy is.” The words of Jürgen Habermas, a noted Frankfurt School philosopher, are a good point of departure for understanding Palantir Technologies. On August 25th the controversial software firm, named after a magical orb in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” that lets users see and speak across space and time, filed the paperwork to list on the New York Stock Exchange. Its direct offer of existing shares to public investors, without raising fresh capital, could happen within a month.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “A prickly patriot”
Business August 29th 2020
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- Delivery Hero is Germany’s newest blue chip
- Covid-19 has been a mixed blessing for makers of medical equipment
- Businesses compete to battle California’s blackouts
- Bribery pays—if you don’t get caught
- Palantir’s stockmarket prospectus reveals both losses and promise
- Telegram tries to blend security with usability
From the August 29th 2020 edition
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