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20VC: Palantir CTO on The Broken Incentive Structure of How Governments Buy Defence, The Danger of Defence Spending at Historic Lows, How Elections and Wars Change Government Defence Buying & Why Budgets are Anti-Creative with Shyam Sankar

Jan 17, 2024

Shyam Sankar, Palantir CTO, discusses the broken incentive structure of government defense buying, the impact of conflict and elections on governments' buying process, and the challenges of hiring the best talent. He also emphasizes the importance of creativity over process, the need for reevaluation of defense spending, and the role of AI in solving institutional problems.

01:00:43

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Shyam Sankar

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Quick takeaways

Prioritizing content over process is crucial for long-term success

Government buying in the defense sector is shifting towards product-based models

The defense industry needs to foster innovation and creative risk-taking to drive progress

Deep dives

The Importance of Content over Process

The podcast episode highlights the significance of prioritizing content over process in order to achieve success. It emphasizes that while process can be useful, it should not overshadow the substance and creativity of the content produced. The episode explains how companies often get trapped in replicating process instead of focusing on creating valuable and innovative content, which is essential for long-term success. By recognizing and nurturing talent, allowing for flexibility and autonomy, and creating an environment that encourages learning and growth, companies can better support and amplify the creative content of their employees.

The Last Supper and the Financialization of Defense

01:25

Revolutionizing Business Model for Selling to Governments and Events Tech

01:17

The Best Process: US vs Europe

00:37

Design Roles Around People's Strengths

00:47

Introduction

3min

The Origins of a Strong Work Ethic

2min

Lessons Learned, Sticking Together, and the Role of Luck in Success

2min

Joining Palantir and Early Challenges

4min

The Broken Incentive Structure of Government Defense Buying

22min

TAM Expansion and Defense Spending

10min

The Importance of Content and Creativity

16min

The Next Five Years, Geo-Politics, and the Role of AI

4min

Shyam Sankar is Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Palantir Technologies in addition to the Chairman of Ginkgo Bioworks. Shyam holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University and a M.S. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University.

In Today's Episode with Shyam Sankar:

1. Journey to the Top of Defence:

How did Shyam make his way into the world of startups and get a role with Kevin Hartz at Xoom?
How did seeing Shyam's parents lose everything impact his mindset and drive?
What does Shyam know now that he wishes he had known when he started his career?

2. How the World's Governments Buy Defence:

What is the playbook for selling defence to different governments?
Why is the way that governments purchase and procure so broken?
If Shyam were head of the DOD, what would he change?
Why does the DOD "need to pick winners"?
Which governments are the best to work with? Which are the worst?

3. A World In Conflict: What Changes:

How does conflict change the buying process and urgency for governments?
How do elections change the buying cadence and process for different governments?
Looking forward to 2024, how does Shyam predict the state of different global conflicts?

4. Hiring 101: You Have To Hire Artists:

What have been Shyam's single biggest lessons on what it takes to hire the best of the best?
Why does Shyam believe that hiring great people is like talent management in Hollywood?
Why does Shyam believe talent should be "shielded from budgets"?
What have been some of Shyam's biggest hiring mistakes? How did he learn from them?

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