The gentle French garment, the chore coat, has now become as cursed as the infamous megacorp Palantir, which has accumulated $80 million in government contracts in Australia alone. Van Badham, a Guardian Australia columnist, expresses her dismay at the brand contamination, stating that it took years to find a flattering chore coat, but now she wants to incinerate it because Palantir decided to slap its logo on one as corporate merch.
The Chore Coat's Unwanted Association
Chore coats are traditional short denim or twill jackets worn by the 19th-century French working class. However, Palantir, a company known for its surveillance technology and controversial activities, has now co-opted this garment. The company's head of strategic engagement wanted to create a merch offering that was not a bland corporate polo or vest, according to the New York Times. Thus, the veste de travail, with its convenient pockets and famous styling on icons like Paul Newman and Jeremy Allen White, became the latest cultural victim of a company with a market capitalisation exceeding $325 billion and a chief executive whose favorite motto is "Dominate."
Palantir's Sinister Reputation
Palantir's reputation as the "scariest company in the world" is well-earned. The company provides AI-powered surveillance technology to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), contributing to what Amnesty International claims may be human rights violations. It also plays a role in the Pentagon's lethal unmanned drone program, assists police departments in allegedly racist criminal profiling, and its software is used by the Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza. Militaries, police forces, and corporations worldwide use Palantir's services, including the British and Australian governments.
Calls to Ban Palantir in Australia
Australian MPs from both governing and opposition parties have described Palantir's recently issued manifesto as like something from "Robocop" or "the ramblings of a supervillain." The manifesto, authored by CEO Alex Karp, claims that "some cultures have produced vital advances; others remain dysfunctional and regressive," describes disarming Germany and Japan after World War II as an "overcorrection," backs AI weapons, and criticizes those who scrutinize the rich and powerful. Co-founder Peter Thiel, who funds far-right political influence operations and is building a bunker in New Zealand, has also been linked to controversial statements.
Palantir's Response
When asked to respond to calls for its banning in Australia, a Palantir spokesperson stated that the company was "proud" its software was used to "keep Australians safe and tackle financial crime." However, confidence in this statement depends on a shared definition of "safe" and "financial crime." Palantir describes itself as "just a software company" that provides tools for customers to organize and understand their own information, with usage constrained by legal, contractual, and technical instructions.
The Need for Restriction
Van Badham argues that sovereign democracies should restrict Palantir and not hand sensitive data to the company. Far-right influence campaigns to weaken trust in democratic institutions are rewarded every time governments enfranchise corporations that people already do not trust. Billionaires are not the only ones who read The Lord of the Rings; it is wise to be attuned to threat, whatever coat it is wearing.
