Palantir’s call – On his podcast, Joe Rogan erupted over Palantir’s push for universal national military service, arguing the idea is “crazy” and reacting angrily to the prospect of drafting people. The technology company had laid out the concept in a 22-point manifesto tied to
Joe Rogan didn’t mince words when a conversation about a military draft resurfaced this week.. On “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast Thursday. he said people he described as “talking about drafting people” sounded unreasonable. then launched into a stream of profanities as he questioned why anyone would support the idea.
“I just don’t understand why anybody would want to support that. That sounds crazy,” Rogan said, continuing: “Especially after this Iran war, where everybody’s like, ‘Why the fuck are we in Iran?’ And if you signed up for that, that sounds nuts. Is that real?”
The immediate spark was Palantir, the tech company associated with government and defense data systems.. Palantir has also built systems used by U.S.. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Israel Defense Forces.. Last month. the company called for a draft on social media. embedding the idea in a 22-point manifesto summarizing CEO Alex Karp’s 2025 book. “The Technological Republic.”
In that manifesto, “National service should be a universal duty,” and it argued, “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.”
Rogan. who endorsed President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. has also frequently criticized the MAGA leader over what he called “horrific” deportation tactics. “insane” immigration raids. and a “terrifying” war on Iran.. That history carried into his reaction to Palantir’s stance. where he said he was “shocked” by the direction of the company’s message.
“Why the fuck would a tech company be saying that we need to move towards a universal national military service?” Rogan asked. “How about fuck you? How about fuck you, you go? ’Cause you know none of these tech dorks that are running these companies, they’re not doing it.”
The exchange grabbed attention around 22:32, as Rogan repeatedly returned to the draft proposal as the central target of his anger.. “Throwing meat into the machine. throwing people’s children into these unnecessary wars. ” he said. adding that the better goal would be avoiding wars rather than increasing the number of people pulled into them: “Fuck you … It’s scary that they would. like. how about let’s figure out how to use your technology so there’s no more wars?. Wouldn’t that be a better goal?”
He also argued against forcing young people into combat, saying: “Instead of getting kids to fucking learn how to go shoot people they don’t know because someone tells you to? And how many of these— out of all the wars we’ve been in since World War II, is it zero that made sense? I think it’s zero.”
The draft itself is a live political flashpoint precisely because it is not currently in effect.. While the U.S.. military draft isn’t active and no one has been drafted since 1973. a measure in the annual defense policy bill Congress passed last year has reportedly ensured eligible men will be automatically registered for the draft pool starting in December.
The debate around Palantir has not been limited to military service.. The American Civil Liberties Union recently raised concerns about Palantir’s “integration into the U.S.. domestic security apparatus,” warning that the role remains “ominously nebulous” but reportedly includes risk-assessment technologies for so-called “predictive policing.”
In his remarks, Rogan connected the proposed push toward universal service to his broader skepticism about whether recent U.S.. conflicts have justified the costs.. “I don’t think there’s one war that we’ve been in since World War II that makes any fucking sense at all. ” he said.. “And they’re like, ‘The solution is: We need more people to be forced into it.’”
Joe Rogan Palantir military draft national service Alex Karp The Technological Republic U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Israel Defense Forces ACLU predictive policing Congress defense policy bill