Joe Rogan Slams Palantir’s Call for Universal National Service

In late April, Palantir Technologies posted on X a 22-point manifesto urging the United States to adopt universal national service, moving away from an all-volunteer force. The proposal, released amid U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran, provoked immediate backlash, most prominently from podcaster Joe Rogan, who called it “very scary” on The Joe Rogan Experience. Rogan’s guest, guitarist Marcus King, also described the plan as “scary.”

Newsweek

Palantir, a data-analytics firm with Pentagon contracts such as Project Maven, supplies software platforms Gotham, Foundry and Apollo for military and corporate use. The draft proposal appeared in a 22-point manifesto summarizing CEO Alex Karp’s upcoming 2025 book “The Technological Republic,” and surfaced as public scrutiny of U.S. involvement in Iran intensified.

Newsweek

The United States has not activated a draft since 1973. A recent defense-policy bill requires automatic registration of eligible men for the draft pool starting in December. Palantir’s platforms include Gotham for intelligence, Foundry for logistics, and Apollo for software deployment; its contracts feature Project Maven, an AI-driven targeting system used in multiple conflict zones.

Newsweek

Palantir’s X post asserted that “national service should be a universal duty” and urged society to consider moving away from an all-volunteer force so that “everyone shares in the risk and the cost.” The defense-policy bill’s registration provision reflects a legislative response. The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement raising concerns about Palantir’s role in domestic security and predictive-policing technologies.

Newsweek

Rogan condemned the proposal as “crazy” and “very scary,” questioning why a tech firm would push for drafting children into future wars. He linked the idea to recent U.S. involvement in Iran, noting past conflicts have “made no sense.” The ACLU echoed these concerns, warning that Palantir’s integration into security apparatuses could threaten civil liberties.

HuffPost

Public and legislative scrutiny of Palantir’s manifesto is expected to intensify as lawmakers consider the draft registration provision. Advocacy groups, including the ACLU, plan to monitor policy changes, while media commentary continues to assess the role of private defense technology in future national-service debates.

Newsweek

• “These motherf***ers are talking about drafting people...Palantir thinks that we should reintroduce conscription, conscription, that kids should start getting drafted again into military, and they should have mandatory military experience for kids.” — Joe Rogan, podcaster

Newsweek

• “That sounds crazy,” — Joe Rogan, podcaster

Newsweek

• “Why the f*** would a tech company be saying that we need to move towards a universal national military service?” — Joe Rogan, podcaster

Newsweek

• “National service should be a universal duty. We should, as a society, seriously consider moving away from an all-volunteer force and only fight the next war if everyone shares in the risk and the cost.” — Palantir, X post

Newsweek