In 2021, “intellectual dark web” OG and Israeli-government stan Bari Weiss announced the launch of her own university. In case you don’t remember, the “intellectual dark web” was a term coined by one of its own proponents (Eric Weinstein) and used to market a breed of new pundits and influencers, like Joe Rogan, who sprang up during the first Trump administration. These pundits dared to share provocative perspectives that, according to them, no one else had the courage to voice—stuff like multiculturalism is bad sometimes. Weiss was one of them and, yes, to continue telling the dangerous truths that others wouldn’t, she launched her own school. Since then, every other anti-woke doofus of distinction has launched a school, so, in that sense, she’s a trendsetter.
Weiss’s org, dubbed the University of Austin, is reported to be funded by “deep-pocketed” billionaire donors who’ve “grown disgusted” by the anti-Israel protests that roiled America’s top universities over the past year. The school’s website encourages visitors to “DARE TO THINK,” and claims that it is “dedicated to the fearless pursuit of truth.”
What is the school daring kids to think about these days? It’s unclear whether it’s daring them to think about Israel and what it’s been doing to Gaza over the past two years. But one thing’s for sure: it’s definitely been encouraging them to think about the beliefs of a guy who loves Israel, and who also happens to run a very powerful defense contractor that likes to work for the Israeli government.
This week, we got a little window into what the lucky students at Weiss’s weird school are learning. The school tweeted out a short snippet about what its freshman class has been up to:
After a 14-hour day that began with an early morning hike and ended with a 7-8:30 p.m. seminar, freshmen were divided into debate teams and assigned 40 pages of reading to complete overnight, before their 7 a.m. breakfast. They read Alexander Karp’s vision for a technological republic, alongside Plato’s warning about the decay of regimes. The debates were so intense that students asked to skip lunch to keep going.
The post added that the “winning team” would “earn front-row seats at UATX’s upcoming @PalantirTech panel,” because apparently that’s a thing.
To be clear, the post is referring to Alex Karp’s book, The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West, a treatise arguing that Silicon Valley needs to wake up and get in on developing better war machines for the U.S. government, as if that wasn’t already happening at a rapid pace. Karp, the billionaire CEO of Palantir, has said a lot of weird stuff over the years (he recently bragged about his company killing people, for instance), and his company has both aided the Trump administration’s deportation efforts and the Israeli government’s war effort. The latter represents a “strategic partnership” with Israel, the terms of which are, like most of Palantir’s work, not very well understood by the public. Suffice it to say, having the executive of a defense contractor lauded as a premier intellectual is not the sort of academic experience you’re going to get at most U.S. universities. Is Karp an intellectual? That’s in the eye of the beholder. From the outside, Karp’s tome that Weiss is having her students read really just looks like a rhetorical defense of the industry he works in, but you know, I haven’t read it.
In its review, The Economist called The Technological Republic “the best- or worst-timed book in history,” while pointing out that Google has recently reversed its ban on AI for military use, tech CEOs are lining up to appease Donald Trump, and tech-defense stocks are booming. The Economist, which no one would confuse with a left-wing outlet, writes:
It is hard to say whether Mr Karp’s timing is brilliant or terrible. His book has arrived just as many of the things he argues for have come true, but in unexpected ways—like a fairy tale in which the granting of a wish turns out to have unexpected drawbacks. The argument is filled out with a potted history of America’s tech industry, quotes from luminaries, a fair amount of score-settling and quixotic excursions into what managers can learn from honeybees and improvisational theatre. The book’s intellectual eclecticism is clearly modelled on that of Yuval Noah Harari, Silicon Valley’s favourite historian. But “The Technological Republic” is much less compelling. Mr Karp has got what he wished for, but he may not like the outcome.
So, yes, wow. Some lucky teenagers are getting to debate the ideals of one of the world’s creepiest corporate executives—what a way to get an education. There are so many other billionaires, MAGA figures, and warlords that could serve as intellectual beacons for the next generation of “daring” and open minds. The poetry of Jeff Bezos, perhaps? Or maybe the philosophical tractates of Erik Prince? Peter Thiel’s comparative literature recommendations? The Cinema of Steve Bannon? Christ, the possibilities are endless.
Karp is a notable supporter of UATX. Joe Lonsdale, the co-founder of Palantir, is also a co-founder of the school.
For the record, the internet seems to have registered how ridiculous this whole thing sounds and acted accordingly. “Indistinguishable from parody,” one X user posted. Another offered: “So you abuse your students, and this is something you think you should post about?”
Weiss, despite never having said anything all that interesting, seems to be on the road to the kind of institutional success that most of her peers only ever dream of. A recent report from Puck News claimed that Paramount is considering buying Weiss’s blog, The Free Press, for somewhere between $100-$200 million. At the same time, the report claimed that Weiss might be installed in a prominent position at CBS. I guess, these days, the road to success is paved with anti-woke punditry. Go figure.
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