My conversation with Shyam Sankar (@ssankar). Shyam has spent nearly 20 years as the most important person at Palantir that most people have never heard of. We spend a lot of time understanding his worldview, which helps explain why he has devoted his life to this work. At the center of it is a belief in the primacy of people -- all meaningful change comes from a small number of builders willing to be heretics first. You will find few people who think as deeply about the relationship between technology and national power. In many ways, he is becoming the modern version of the heretics he most admires. We discuss: - What Alex Karp taught him about identifying superpowers and unlocking talent - Heretics + the components of American greatness - The origins of the FDE model - Ontology and chips – where value will accrue in AI - Why dual-use companies are the future of American industry - China and what it would take for the US to reindustrialize - His journey from Nigeria to Orlando and what his dad taught him about gratitude Enjoy! Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:23 Defining Heretics in US Military History 8:36 Shyam’s Personal Disagreeableness 9:49 Formative Experiences & Worldview 12:52 What Makes America Exceptional 14:48 What Does Greatness Mean? 15:33 Alex Karp 16:46 How to Unlock Talent 19:21 Identifying Superpowers and Kryptonite 22:54 The Gamma Ray Moment...