On Monday, Databricks announced it reached a $5.4 billion revenue run-rate, growing 65% year-over-year, of which more than $1.4 billion was from its AI products.
Founder CEO Ali Ghodsi wanted to share these growth numbers because there’s so much talk about how AI is going to kill SaaS business, he told TechCrunch
“Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, it’s SaaS. What’s going to happen to all these companies? What’s AI going to do with all these companies? For us, it’s just increasing the usage,” he says.
To be sure, he also wants to deflect the SaaS label from Databricks, priced as it is by the private markets as an AI company. Databricks on Monday also officially closed on its massive, previously announced $5 billion raise at a $134 billion valuation, and nabbed a $2 billion loan facility as well.
But the company is straddling both worlds. Databricks is still best-known as a cloud data warehouse provider. A data warehouse is where enterprises store massive amounts of data to analyze for business insights.
Ghodsi called out, in particular, one AI product that’s driving usage of its data warehouse: its LLM user interface named Genie.
Genie is an example of how a SaaS business may replace its user interface with natural language. For instance, he uses it to ask why warehouse usage and revenue spike on particular days.
Just a few years ago, such a request required a specific query language, or maybe a special report would have been programmed. Today, any product with an LLM interface can be used by anyone, Ghodsi noted. Genie is one reason for usage growth numbers, he said.
The threat of AI to SaaS isn’t, as one AI VC jokingly tweeted, that enterprises will rip out their SaaS “systems of record” to replace them with a vibe-coded homegrown versions. Systems of record store critical business data, be it on sales, customer support, or finances.
“Why would you move your system of record? You know, it’s hard to move it,” Ghodsi said.
The model makers aren’t offering databases to store that data and become systems of record anyway. Instead, they hope to replace the user interface with natural language for human use, or APIs or other plug-ins for agents.
So the threat to SaaS businesses, Ghodsi says, is that people no longer spend their careers becoming masters of a particular product: Salesforce specialists, or ServiceNow, or SAP. Once the interface is just language, the products become invisible, like plumbing.
“Millions of people around the world got trained on those user interfaces. And so that was the biggest moat that those businesses have,” Ghodsi warns.
SaaS companies that embrace the new LLM interface could grow, as Databricks is doing. But it also opens up possibilities for AI-native competitors to offer alternatives that work better with AI and agents.
That’s why Databricks created its Lakebase database designed for agents. He’s seeing early traction. “In its eight months that we’ve had it in the market, it’s done twice as much revenue as our data warehouse had when it was eight months old. Okay, obviously, that’s like comparing toddlers,” Ghodsi says. “But this is a toddler that’s twice as big.”
Meanwhile, now that Databricks has closed on its massive funding round, Ghodsi tells us that the company is not immediately working on another raise, nor prepping for an IPO.
“Now is not a great time to go public,” Ghodsi said. “I just wanted to be really well capitalized,” should the markets go “south” again as they did in the 2022 post-ZIRP crash. A thick bank account “protects us, gives us many, many years of runway,” he added.
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#Databricks #CEO #SaaS #isnt #dead #irrelevant #TechCrunch
![Palantir Debuts Chic Chore Coat So the World Knows You’re One of the Baddies
This week, Palantir announced the upcoming release of a new chore coat branded with the company’s logo. The company has been releasing gear since 2024, and this new coat is a great way to tell everyone what you stand for. Specifically, it communicates to everyone in your immediate vicinity that you support ICE and aren’t a big fan of civil liberties. Palantir’s head of strategic engagement Eliano A. Younes tweeted the chore coat this week, which he says will be released on April 30. the lightweight Palantir chore coat [04.30.2026 • 0930 AM EST] pic.twitter.com/9K5fmu3bSs — Eliano A Younes (@eliano) April 21, 2026 X users responded to Younes with the kind of comments that anyone might expect about Palantir, a company aligned with President Donald Trump and the most dystopian elements of our modern surveillance society.
“could it be operated remotely ? detonated? listening ? what’s the features list,” one user joked, while another asked if it had “built in surveillance trackers?” But Younes seemed genuinely offended by the most obvious jokes any reasonable person might be expected to make of Palantir, a defense contractor that prides itself in helping surveil and kill people around the world. He responded with “here for the shitposting but I need to see better from you. this is unoriginal and not funny,” and “not even remotely funny. try harder.”
Even Palantir employees seem to be waking up to what the company stands for, according to a recent report from Wired. When the U.S. launched a missile attack against an elementary school in Iran on Feb. 28 that killed about 175 people, mostly children, the employees reportedly started to question whether Palantir’s Maven technology had been used. Employees are also worried about the company’s lucrative contracts with ICE, an organization that has been terrorizing American streets in particularly heinous ways.
But Palantir seems intent on pushing out gear that allows like-minded people to wrap themselves in a horrifying, anti-American brand. “We want millions of people wearing Palantir merch around the world,” recently Younes told GQ. Younes says he wants Palantir to be a lifestyle brand, telling GQ, “There are people out there wearing Palantir merchandise to signal their alignment with our mission, and that’s exactly what a lifestyle brand is.” That lifestyle, of course, isn’t something that decent people would be proud of. Palantir recently promoted a Reader’s Digest-style version of the book The Technological Republic, co-authored by CEO Alex Karp, in a tweet. The book advocates for reinstatement of the draft, says the “postwar neutering” of Germany and Japan following the atrocities of World War II was an overcorrection, and criticizes the concept of pluralism.
It’s not just the chore coat. The company also sell sweatshirts, t-shirts, and hats, among other items. One t-shirt Palantir sold in 2025 featured an image of Karp along with the word “Dominate.” That item is no longer available for purchase. Younes also suggested to GQ that its CEO was important for Palantir as a fashion brand: “A lot of the store’s designs are downstream of Dr. Karp and our chief technology officer Shyam Sankar’s personal style.” Younes wouldn’t say how many units the company is selling, but did claim, “store sales have increased 64% year-over-year and everything we’ve made has sold out, sometimes in minutes.”
GQ asked about Palantir’s ICE contracts and the other “controversial” things it’s engaged in with the U.S. military, but Younes insisted the company is “not political,” whatever that’s supposed to mean. As the Wall Street Journal recently pointed out, Palantir is leaning hard into selling the “tech-boss-as-hero ethos,” that’s frankly pretty common in Silicon Valley these days. But even some fans of the company think the merchandising effort is embarrassing.
“Unpopular opinion: all these merch posts are so ‘fan boy’ and extra cringe,” one user wrote in the Palantir subreddit about Karp’s Dominate shirt. “Like the stock or don’t, believe in the company or don’t,…. But the incessant merch posts are weak sauce.” Others are fully bought in, with one user writing, “Definitely a collectors item for me, could be worth something one day.” Younes told GQ that Palantir is working on a tennis collection and something for the America 250 celebrations this summer. So if you’re a fan of techno-fascism, keep your eyes peeled. Whatever merch they’ve got planned for the rest of the year could be sold out in no time. #Palantir #Debuts #Chic #Chore #Coat #World #Youre #BaddiesPalantir](https://i1.wp.com/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/04/palatnir-chore-coats-1280x853.jpg?ssl=1 "Palantir Debuts Chic Chore Coat So the World Knows You’re One of the Baddies
This week, Palantir announced the upcoming release of a new chore coat branded with the company’s logo. The company has been releasing gear since 2024, and this new coat is a great way to tell everyone what you stand for. Specifically, it communicates to everyone in your immediate vicinity that you support ICE and aren’t a big fan of civil liberties. Palantir’s head of strategic engagement Eliano A. Younes tweeted the chore coat this week, which he says will be released on April 30. the lightweight Palantir chore coat [04.30.2026 • 0930 AM EST] pic.twitter.com/9K5fmu3bSs — Eliano A Younes (@eliano) April 21, 2026 X users responded to Younes with the kind of comments that anyone might expect about Palantir, a company aligned with President Donald Trump and the most dystopian elements of our modern surveillance society.
“could it be operated remotely ? detonated? listening ? what’s the features list,” one user joked, while another asked if it had “built in surveillance trackers?” But Younes seemed genuinely offended by the most obvious jokes any reasonable person might be expected to make of Palantir, a defense contractor that prides itself in helping surveil and kill people around the world. He responded with “here for the shitposting but I need to see better from you. this is unoriginal and not funny,” and “not even remotely funny. try harder.”
Even Palantir employees seem to be waking up to what the company stands for, according to a recent report from Wired. When the U.S. launched a missile attack against an elementary school in Iran on Feb. 28 that killed about 175 people, mostly children, the employees reportedly started to question whether Palantir’s Maven technology had been used. Employees are also worried about the company’s lucrative contracts with ICE, an organization that has been terrorizing American streets in particularly heinous ways.
But Palantir seems intent on pushing out gear that allows like-minded people to wrap themselves in a horrifying, anti-American brand. “We want millions of people wearing Palantir merch around the world,” recently Younes told GQ. Younes says he wants Palantir to be a lifestyle brand, telling GQ, “There are people out there wearing Palantir merchandise to signal their alignment with our mission, and that’s exactly what a lifestyle brand is.” That lifestyle, of course, isn’t something that decent people would be proud of. Palantir recently promoted a Reader’s Digest-style version of the book The Technological Republic, co-authored by CEO Alex Karp, in a tweet. The book advocates for reinstatement of the draft, says the “postwar neutering” of Germany and Japan following the atrocities of World War II was an overcorrection, and criticizes the concept of pluralism.
It’s not just the chore coat. The company also sell sweatshirts, t-shirts, and hats, among other items. One t-shirt Palantir sold in 2025 featured an image of Karp along with the word “Dominate.” That item is no longer available for purchase. Younes also suggested to GQ that its CEO was important for Palantir as a fashion brand: “A lot of the store’s designs are downstream of Dr. Karp and our chief technology officer Shyam Sankar’s personal style.” Younes wouldn’t say how many units the company is selling, but did claim, “store sales have increased 64% year-over-year and everything we’ve made has sold out, sometimes in minutes.”
GQ asked about Palantir’s ICE contracts and the other “controversial” things it’s engaged in with the U.S. military, but Younes insisted the company is “not political,” whatever that’s supposed to mean. As the Wall Street Journal recently pointed out, Palantir is leaning hard into selling the “tech-boss-as-hero ethos,” that’s frankly pretty common in Silicon Valley these days. But even some fans of the company think the merchandising effort is embarrassing.
“Unpopular opinion: all these merch posts are so ‘fan boy’ and extra cringe,” one user wrote in the Palantir subreddit about Karp’s Dominate shirt. “Like the stock or don’t, believe in the company or don’t,…. But the incessant merch posts are weak sauce.” Others are fully bought in, with one user writing, “Definitely a collectors item for me, could be worth something one day.” Younes told GQ that Palantir is working on a tennis collection and something for the America 250 celebrations this summer. So if you’re a fan of techno-fascism, keep your eyes peeled. Whatever merch they’ve got planned for the rest of the year could be sold out in no time. #Palantir #Debuts #Chic #Chore #Coat #World #Youre #BaddiesPalantir")
![Palantir Debuts Chic Chore Coat So the World Knows You’re One of the Baddies
This week, Palantir announced the upcoming release of a new chore coat branded with the company’s logo. The company has been releasing gear since 2024, and this new coat is a great way to tell everyone what you stand for. Specifically, it communicates to everyone in your immediate vicinity that you support ICE and aren’t a big fan of civil liberties. Palantir’s head of strategic engagement Eliano A. Younes tweeted the chore coat this week, which he says will be released on April 30. the lightweight Palantir chore coat [04.30.2026 • 0930 AM EST] pic.twitter.com/9K5fmu3bSs — Eliano A Younes (@eliano) April 21, 2026 X users responded to Younes with the kind of comments that anyone might expect about Palantir, a company aligned with President Donald Trump and the most dystopian elements of our modern surveillance society.
“could it be operated remotely ? detonated? listening ? what’s the features list,” one user joked, while another asked if it had “built in surveillance trackers?” But Younes seemed genuinely offended by the most obvious jokes any reasonable person might be expected to make of Palantir, a defense contractor that prides itself in helping surveil and kill people around the world. He responded with “here for the shitposting but I need to see better from you. this is unoriginal and not funny,” and “not even remotely funny. try harder.”
Even Palantir employees seem to be waking up to what the company stands for, according to a recent report from Wired. When the U.S. launched a missile attack against an elementary school in Iran on Feb. 28 that killed about 175 people, mostly children, the employees reportedly started to question whether Palantir’s Maven technology had been used. Employees are also worried about the company’s lucrative contracts with ICE, an organization that has been terrorizing American streets in particularly heinous ways.
But Palantir seems intent on pushing out gear that allows like-minded people to wrap themselves in a horrifying, anti-American brand. “We want millions of people wearing Palantir merch around the world,” recently Younes told GQ. Younes says he wants Palantir to be a lifestyle brand, telling GQ, “There are people out there wearing Palantir merchandise to signal their alignment with our mission, and that’s exactly what a lifestyle brand is.” That lifestyle, of course, isn’t something that decent people would be proud of. Palantir recently promoted a Reader’s Digest-style version of the book The Technological Republic, co-authored by CEO Alex Karp, in a tweet. The book advocates for reinstatement of the draft, says the “postwar neutering” of Germany and Japan following the atrocities of World War II was an overcorrection, and criticizes the concept of pluralism.
It’s not just the chore coat. The company also sell sweatshirts, t-shirts, and hats, among other items. One t-shirt Palantir sold in 2025 featured an image of Karp along with the word “Dominate.” That item is no longer available for purchase. Younes also suggested to GQ that its CEO was important for Palantir as a fashion brand: “A lot of the store’s designs are downstream of Dr. Karp and our chief technology officer Shyam Sankar’s personal style.” Younes wouldn’t say how many units the company is selling, but did claim, “store sales have increased 64% year-over-year and everything we’ve made has sold out, sometimes in minutes.”
GQ asked about Palantir’s ICE contracts and the other “controversial” things it’s engaged in with the U.S. military, but Younes insisted the company is “not political,” whatever that’s supposed to mean. As the Wall Street Journal recently pointed out, Palantir is leaning hard into selling the “tech-boss-as-hero ethos,” that’s frankly pretty common in Silicon Valley these days. But even some fans of the company think the merchandising effort is embarrassing.
“Unpopular opinion: all these merch posts are so ‘fan boy’ and extra cringe,” one user wrote in the Palantir subreddit about Karp’s Dominate shirt. “Like the stock or don’t, believe in the company or don’t,…. But the incessant merch posts are weak sauce.” Others are fully bought in, with one user writing, “Definitely a collectors item for me, could be worth something one day.” Younes told GQ that Palantir is working on a tennis collection and something for the America 250 celebrations this summer. So if you’re a fan of techno-fascism, keep your eyes peeled. Whatever merch they’ve got planned for the rest of the year could be sold out in no time. #Palantir #Debuts #Chic #Chore #Coat #World #Youre #BaddiesPalantir](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/04/palatnir-chore-coats-1280x853.jpg "Palantir Debuts Chic Chore Coat So the World Knows You’re One of the Baddies
This week, Palantir announced the upcoming release of a new chore coat branded with the company’s logo. The company has been releasing gear since 2024, and this new coat is a great way to tell everyone what you stand for. Specifically, it communicates to everyone in your immediate vicinity that you support ICE and aren’t a big fan of civil liberties. Palantir’s head of strategic engagement Eliano A. Younes tweeted the chore coat this week, which he says will be released on April 30. the lightweight Palantir chore coat [04.30.2026 • 0930 AM EST] pic.twitter.com/9K5fmu3bSs — Eliano A Younes (@eliano) April 21, 2026 X users responded to Younes with the kind of comments that anyone might expect about Palantir, a company aligned with President Donald Trump and the most dystopian elements of our modern surveillance society.
“could it be operated remotely ? detonated? listening ? what’s the features list,” one user joked, while another asked if it had “built in surveillance trackers?” But Younes seemed genuinely offended by the most obvious jokes any reasonable person might be expected to make of Palantir, a defense contractor that prides itself in helping surveil and kill people around the world. He responded with “here for the shitposting but I need to see better from you. this is unoriginal and not funny,” and “not even remotely funny. try harder.”
Even Palantir employees seem to be waking up to what the company stands for, according to a recent report from Wired. When the U.S. launched a missile attack against an elementary school in Iran on Feb. 28 that killed about 175 people, mostly children, the employees reportedly started to question whether Palantir’s Maven technology had been used. Employees are also worried about the company’s lucrative contracts with ICE, an organization that has been terrorizing American streets in particularly heinous ways.
But Palantir seems intent on pushing out gear that allows like-minded people to wrap themselves in a horrifying, anti-American brand. “We want millions of people wearing Palantir merch around the world,” recently Younes told GQ. Younes says he wants Palantir to be a lifestyle brand, telling GQ, “There are people out there wearing Palantir merchandise to signal their alignment with our mission, and that’s exactly what a lifestyle brand is.” That lifestyle, of course, isn’t something that decent people would be proud of. Palantir recently promoted a Reader’s Digest-style version of the book The Technological Republic, co-authored by CEO Alex Karp, in a tweet. The book advocates for reinstatement of the draft, says the “postwar neutering” of Germany and Japan following the atrocities of World War II was an overcorrection, and criticizes the concept of pluralism.
It’s not just the chore coat. The company also sell sweatshirts, t-shirts, and hats, among other items. One t-shirt Palantir sold in 2025 featured an image of Karp along with the word “Dominate.” That item is no longer available for purchase. Younes also suggested to GQ that its CEO was important for Palantir as a fashion brand: “A lot of the store’s designs are downstream of Dr. Karp and our chief technology officer Shyam Sankar’s personal style.” Younes wouldn’t say how many units the company is selling, but did claim, “store sales have increased 64% year-over-year and everything we’ve made has sold out, sometimes in minutes.”
GQ asked about Palantir’s ICE contracts and the other “controversial” things it’s engaged in with the U.S. military, but Younes insisted the company is “not political,” whatever that’s supposed to mean. As the Wall Street Journal recently pointed out, Palantir is leaning hard into selling the “tech-boss-as-hero ethos,” that’s frankly pretty common in Silicon Valley these days. But even some fans of the company think the merchandising effort is embarrassing.
“Unpopular opinion: all these merch posts are so ‘fan boy’ and extra cringe,” one user wrote in the Palantir subreddit about Karp’s Dominate shirt. “Like the stock or don’t, believe in the company or don’t,…. But the incessant merch posts are weak sauce.” Others are fully bought in, with one user writing, “Definitely a collectors item for me, could be worth something one day.” Younes told GQ that Palantir is working on a tennis collection and something for the America 250 celebrations this summer. So if you’re a fan of techno-fascism, keep your eyes peeled. Whatever merch they’ve got planned for the rest of the year could be sold out in no time. #Palantir #Debuts #Chic #Chore #Coat #World #Youre #BaddiesPalantir")
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