On Palantir: "The naming choice was intentional. It’s a built-in warning and reminder to us."

Douthat: It’s worth noting that your company is named for seeing stones used to view things at a very long distance in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” And the Palantíri, these seeing stones, were used by the noble kingdoms of the West in that story.

It’s also worth noting that in the course of the Tolkien story, they fall into the wrong hands and are used for evil as well.

Sankar: The naming choice was intentional. It’s a built-in warning and reminder to us.

Douthat: That you’re basically building something that is potentially —

Sankar: You’re building something powerful and you have an obligation on how it’s used, and you have to be thoughtful of this stuff. 

Source: Opinion | What Palantir Sees - The New York Times