So Another Blue State Just Lost Another Company to Guess Where

Palantir is one of the two most interesting defense contractors in the United States, and they're also the latest multibillion-dollar firm to give a blue state the corporate finger and make the move to redder climes.

Twice.

Cofounded in 2003 by libertarian/conservative-minded billionaire Peter Thiel, Palantir CEO Alex Karp says the company builds "software fortresses" for the West. It does that through AI-driven software focused (among other things) on defense, intelligence, and manufacturing decision-making. The company's Gotham platform provides high-speed battlefield management, counter-terrorism, targeting, sensor orchestration, and situational awareness.

Since Palantir doesn't build flashy fighters or ships, it might be one of the most important firms you've never heard of, and I gather that the company likes it that way.

Here's where things get a little funny.

And Another Thing: The other upstart contractor worth your attention is Anduril. Both companies specialize in delivering cutting-edge products quickly and at prices meant to undercut establishment dinosaurs. I wish them both luck.

Thiel & Co. established Palantir in Palo Alto, Calif., pretty much smack-dab in the middle of the Bay Area's fabled Silicon Valley. But by 2020, the company's leadership had had enough. Karp publicly vented his frustration with Silicon Valley's "monoculture" and "increasing intolerance" for anything other than the most left-wing views.

Karp frequently mentioned that the Bay Area's stifling and overly ideological environment was out of step with the company's

Palantir didn't even look for tax incentives or anything like that. Leadership just picked a place they thought would enjoy more diversity of thought than the Left Coast had to offer.

So they pulled up stakes and moved to Pyongyang.

Heh, I kid. But Karp picked a spot that proved almost as stifling: Denver, Colo., just 50 miles or so north of Yours Truly.

Man, I could have warned them.

"A Silicon Valley unicorn pulling up anchor in Northern California and seeking refuge at the edge of the Rocky Mountains doesn’t happen every day, especially in the middle of a pandemic," Denver-based 5280 magazine wrote at the time. "With another tech company setting up an office in Denver, the state could become a magnet for Silicon Valley firms and other prestigious businesses during the worst economic climate in nearly a century."

"Palantir’s announcement must have seemed like an unanticipated gift left on Colorado’s doorstep."

Democrats did what they usually do these days and acted like it was a bag of flaming dog poop they quickly stamped out.

Palantir lasted 17 years in the Bay Area before management said "ENOUGH!" and moved to what they had hoped would be more open pastures. It took just under six years for Thiel, Karp, and the rest of corporate leadership to get their fill of Denver's Democrat-dominated combination of California-like groupthink and Detroit-level city management.

Actually, I'm unfair to Detroit — parts of that city are recovering at long last. Denver has a way to go before it hits rock bottom, but Colorado Democrats are digging mighty fast.

So Palantir succinctly announced today, "We have moved our headquarters to Miami, Florida," absent all the hand-wringing that preceded their exit from Silicon Valley.

Something tells me they'll stay in Miami a good long while.

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