Alex Karp, CEO of the digital military contractor Palantir, thinks other Silicon Valley behemoths waste their time chasing clicks rather than bad guys—and that the decline of college Western Civ classes is to blame.
Independent since 1969.
The Washington Monthly is nonprofit and reader-supported. Your tax-deductible gift pays for the reporting you just read.
More like this
More on higher education
Thriving After High School: A Foundation to Build On
A new report makes a nuanced case for what post-secondary graduates need to get ahead.
Workforce Pell’s Missing Rudder
Congress finally opened Pell Grants to short-term job training. Now states have to build the systems that can tell which programs actually work.
Once Globally Preeminent, U.S. Universities Are Sliding Into Decline
High costs, political attacks take a toll as fewer students come, top scholars leave.
by Jon Marcus
Higher Ed’s Affordability Problem Isn’t Just the Price
New survey data suggests that more Americans might see the value of a degree if schools simplified their pricing systems.

