Tuesday briefing: Palantir’s rise – and why so many oppose its role in the British state

UK defence secretary John Healey, left, and Palantir CEO Alex Karp sign a £1.5bn investment partnership last September. Photograph: Lucy North/PA View image in fullscreen UK defence secretary John Healey, left, and Palantir CEO Alex Karp sign a £1.5bn investment partnership last September. Photograph: Lucy North/PA Tuesday briefing: Palantir’s rise – and why so many oppose its role in the British state In today’s newsletter: Its software is used from health services to militaries. But controversies and criticism of the $375bn company are leading some to ask if Palantir is too powerful Good morning. The Peter Mandelson story keeps unfolding. Peter Walker explains here what is in the latest release of documents, and Henry Dyer takes a look at the key papers missing from the latest disclosures. But today we are covering another major story – Palantir. Few companies attract controversy more than Palantir . Since the pandemic, the US data analytics company has grown voraciously, using its AI-driven software to make sense of intractable datasets for customers around the world. For the NHS, it analyses patient records; for the US military, it’s focused on targets in Iran. Palantir’s products are widely used, with the business now worth $375bn. Its rise has been noisy and contentious. Founded in 2003 by US tech billionaire and Trump ally Peter Thiel in the wake of 9/11, the firm’s eclectic list of clients includes the Israeli military, the NHS and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Earlier this year, Palantir’s co-founder and CEO Alex Karp published a much-maligned manifesto that implied certain cultures are inferior to others. Today on First Edition, I spoke with Guardian technology and AI reporter Aisha Down about Palantir’s rise – and why a growing number of people are criticising the company. First, the headlines. Five big stories UK politics | Peter Mandelson was receiving sensitive security briefings about the Foreign Office’s work, and was in discussions with the head of MI6, before he had completed the developed vetting process, documents reveal . Ukraine | Russian air raids on major Ukrainian centres including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv killed at least five people and wounded dozens by early morning on Tuesday, authorities said. Environment | More than a million jobs, higher wages, nearly half a trillion pounds in investment in the pipeline – the UK’s green economy is powering ahead , according to research by the country’s leading business organisation. US news | Donald Trump is reconsidering whether to keep pressing for a $1.8bn fund to compensate his allies, a person familiar with his thinking said, as the justice department paused the program to comply with a court order. UK news | Sir Alan Bates has said that the schemes set up to compensate post office operators over the Horizon IT scandal have been an “utter disaster” and that the government should not be involved in running them. In depth: ‘The controversy around Palantir is part