But the protesters argue Scale AI is just one of many AI companies, including Palantir, Anduril and SpaceX, that are increasingly focused on profiting from U.S. imperialism around the world, from “Palestine to the Philippines.”
Much of their ire is particularly focused on Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of Palantir and a key force behind many of the companies expanding into government contracts.
Protesters tie a banner to the doors of Scale AI’s San Francisco headquarters on Aug. 6, 2025, as part of a demonstration against the company’s role in U.S. military operations in the Philippines. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)
Thiel has long championed the idea that Silicon Valley should align more closely with U.S. national interests. “A.I. is a military technology, or at least it’s a dual-use technology,” he said at the Reagan National Defense Forum in 2019, according to Fox News.
“No to billionaire war profiteering. No to tech-powered militarization. And no to the normalization of AI-powered violence!” yelled Katie Na, an organizer with Planet Over Profit Bay Area. “With their AI-driven war platforms, their surveillance tools, their automatic weapons systems, they’re really building up their infrastructure for this private, VC-backed, VC-owned military future.”
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