Alex Karp, the CEO of controversial tech company Palantir, raised eyebrows during a recent live interview with the New York Times. In a viral video of the discussion, Karp defended his company to the Times’ Andrew Ross Sorkin, gesturing dramatically with his arms, bouncing up and down on his chair, and struggling to make his point.
Palantir’s X account shared the video on Sunday morning and announced Karp is launching The Neurodivergent Fellowship: “If you find yourself relating to [Karp] in this video — unable to sit still, or thinking faster than you can speak — we encourage you to apply.”
Palantir announced Karp himself would conduct final interviews for the fellowship. In a reply to the first message on X, the company included an application link to the fellowship, which is available in Palantir’s New York City and Washington, D.C. offices.
“The current LLM tech landscape positions [neurodivergent people] to dominate,” according to the application. “Pattern recognition. Non-linear thinking. Hyperfocus. The cognitive traits that make the neurodivergent different are precisely what make them exceptional in an AI-driven world.”
Palantir, a data and analytics company co-founded by conservative “kingmaker” Peter Thiel, was quick to argue that the fellowship is not a DEI initiative.
“Palantir is launching the Neurodivergent Fellowship as a recruitment pathway for exceptional neurodivergent talent,” according to the application, “This is not a diversity initiative. We believe neurodivergent individuals will have a competitive advantage as elite builders of the next technological era, and we’re hiring accordingly for all roles.”
Yes, they are making this up.
From the point of view of a person without ADHD, an ADHD person is almost retarded. Can’t concentrate, achieve goals.
Or BAD - jumping from a depression to a psychosis, sometimes they are like a wounded deer hiding in their room, sometimes they are running around planning to blitzkrieg the planet, what is this if not a defect. (There’s one woman, I wonder if I should reach her or if I’m having my own BAD psychosis even thinking about that. She’s also not the only woman who can be affected strongly by that decision. In other words, I’m inadequate and unable to control myself and clearly see the reality behind impulses.)
Or, well, an autistic person struggling with hints and cues and aesopean language and unable to deduct reality from superficial signs, - from the point of view of those who can they are pretty much defective. (Also me.)
They are just bunching together a few of Ds as “just different” and the rest as defects. “Disorder” is not a word meaning “just different”. It does mean a defect.
Please don’t use slurs :(