04-22-2026Price:

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AI & TECH

Palantir and OpenAI fund anti-regulation attacks

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 · from 2 podcasts
  • Tech billionaires are bankrolling political attacks to kill AI safety laws.
  • Alex Bores’ AI dividend plan threatens private control of automation gains.
  • Palantir pushes total war doctrine disguised as national service.

Palantir and OpenAI are waging a quiet war on democracy. Not through code or lobbying, but through cash - funding a Super PAC to destroy a rising AI regulator, New York State Assemblymember Alex Bores. According to The Ezra Klein Show, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and Palantir’s Joe Lonsdale are behind Leading the Future, a group spending heavily to paint Bores as a traitor to tech for proposing safety audits and incident reporting.

The goal isn’t just to defeat Bores. It’s to terrify every future legislator who dares regulate AI. As Bores puts it: the industry wants democratic oversight to feel politically fatal. These are the same CEOs who testify before Congress about safety, then quietly fund smear campaigns to protect their unchecked growth.

"They’re not afraid of regulation. They’re afraid of losing the race."

- Alex Bores, The Ezra Klein Show

Meanwhile, Palantir’s Alex Karp is pushing a far more radical vision. In his manifesto The Technological Republic, Karp calls for universal conscription and the full remilitarization of U.S. allies, arguing that AI has replaced nuclear deterrence. Krystal Ball on Breaking Points calls it a civilizational sales pitch - one that just happens to require Palantir’s software stack to execute.

Karp’s vision isn’t just militarized. It’s ideological. He frames coexistence with rival powers as impossible, demanding permanent war footing. This isn’t policy - it’s prophecy from a contractor who wants to be prophet-king.

"The philosopher-king is now the primary defense contractor."

- Krystal Ball, Breaking Points

The two threads - regulatory sabotage and ideological remilitarization - are not separate. They’re part of a broader effort by tech elites to shape governance in their image. While Bores proposes taxing AI tokens and using warrants to fund public good, the response is not debate - it’s destruction.

This isn’t just about AI. It’s about who decides. Billionaires are no longer waiting to influence policy - they’re designing it, funding it, and silencing anyone who stands in the way.

Source Intelligence

- Deep dive into what was said in the episodes

4/21/26: Trump Freaks Over Ro Khanna On Israel, FL Student Arrested For Netanyahu Joke, Palantir Pushes DraftApr 21

Also from this episode: (20)

Other (20)

  • Representative Ro Khanna argued on Fox News that former President Trump's foreign policy prioritizes Israeli interests, specifically Prime Minister Netanyahu's, over America's, leading to detrimental Middle East wars.
  • Ro Khanna asserted the Obama administration's Iran deal was internationally agreed upon (China, Russia, France, UK, Canada, US) and unfroze Iranian assets, not U.S. taxpayer money, to remove 7% of enriched uranium.
  • Donald Trump stated on Truth Social that Israel never discussed war with Iran, and the October 7th events affirmed his belief Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons. He also dismissed media pundits and polls as 'fake' and 'rigged'.
  • Krystal Ball criticized Maria Bartiromo for advocating that the president should unilaterally wage war, arguing a blockade is an act of warfare requiring explicit Congressional authorization, a power reserved for Congress by the Constitution.
  • Saagar Enjeti reported that new Hungarian leader Peter Magyar vowed to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits Hungary, citing its ICC signatory status. This position contrasts with other European powers and reverses Viktor Orban's withdrawal attempt.
  • Representative Chip Roy introduced the 'Mom Dhani Act' to amend immigration law, proposing to denaturalize, deport, or deny entry to migrants who are members of or advocate for socialist, communist, or Islamic fundamentalist ideologies.
  • Saagar Enjeti criticized the 'Mom Dhani Act' as 'dystopian' and 'insane,' especially for targeting existing citizens based on their political views.
  • Krystal Ball argued the U.S. should screen immigrants for loyalty to foreign nations. She suggested individuals advocating for U.S. military intervention in their homelands, like some Iranian-Americans or Cuban-Americans, should be deported for dual loyalty.
  • Krystal Ball connected her views on immigrant loyalty to Theodore Roosevelt's concept of 'hyphenated America,' which he articulated during times of ethnic division like World War One.
  • Saagar Enjeti countered that financial influence, not dual loyalty, primarily drives U.S. foreign policy. He cited the Israel lobby's significant funding, including strong Christian evangelical support, arguing that addressing money in politics would equalize diverse voices.
  • Rabbi Yehuda Kaplun, U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism, announced the U.S. will bar World Cup attendees accused of fostering antisemitism abroad, potentially using AI to analyze social media for 'wrongthink'.
  • Krystal Ball argued this U.S. policy, mirroring European practices, undermines American free speech principles and demonstrates subservience to a foreign state.
  • A Florida college student was arrested and charged with 'threats to kill or do bodily harm' for a private WhatsApp joke referencing Netanyahu dropping 'bonbonds' to reschedule an event. Krystal Ball criticized the $5,000 bond and arrest as 'insane,' pledging legal defense funds.
  • Palantir CEO Alex Karp's manifesto, 'The Technological Republic,' promotes universal national service and the inevitability of AI weapons. Krystal Ball, alongside Saagar Enjeti, criticized the document as a self-serving justification for Palantir's business interests, despite some philosophical agreement on universal service.
  • Saagar Enjeti argued Palantir's manifesto promotes a 'clash of civilization worldview,' asserting coexistence is impossible and justifying massive AI weapon investment that directly benefits its product catalog.
  • Krystal Ball noted Palantir's manifesto also explicitly calls for undoing the 'post-war neutering' of Germany and Japan, which implies their re-militarization for its business interests.
  • Krystal Ball disagreed with Palantir's claim that the 'atomic age is ending,' asserting nuclear weapons remain paramount. She argued that control over energy resources, like oil and the Strait of Hormuz, is a more relevant deterrent.
  • Krystal Ball cited Iran's strategy of using cheap drones, mountainous terrain, and control of the Strait of Hormuz as effective deterrence, independent of AI.
  • Krystal Ball criticized the U.S. for neglecting critical infrastructure, noting no new oil refinery has been built since 1973 and no new nuclear power plant in over 50 years.
  • Ball proposed a $40-50 billion North Slope Pipeline in Alaska to sell oil to Japan and South Korea, arguing 'hard stuff' like energy infrastructure is more vital than AI for national strength.

Why Are Palantir and OpenAI Scared of Alex Bores?Apr 21

  • Tech giants fund sham attacks to deter legislators from regulating AI safety.
  • Bores proposes taxing AI tokens and holding warrants to fund universal basic income.
  • Regulators can trade data center speed for private funding of the electrical grid.