Joe Lonsdale, the co-founder of controversial analytics company Palantir, is facing heavy backlash after calling men who take time off work to look after their newborn children “losers.”
Following comments by podcast host Joe Rogan criticizing the concept of paternity leave, singling out US Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg – who has been on leave since August – Lonsdale also weighed in on Twitter.
“Great for fathers to spend time with their kids and support moms, but any man in an important position who takes 6 months of leave for a newborn is a loser,” declared Lonsdale, adding that “in the old days men had babies and worked harder to provide for their future.”
“That’s the correct masculine response,” he concluded.
Lonsdale’s comment was not received well on social media, however, with critics both mocking and condemning his stance.
“Happy to be called a loser for taking several months of paternity leave to spend time with my wonderful wife and my awesome daughters,” reacted one man, who said he “wouldn’t want to miss it for anything in the world.” CBC national correspondent Carolyn Dunn accused Lonsdale of championing a 1950s-era definition of masculinity.
After one critic questioned why Lonsdale would propose heading back to the factory three days a week after his child’s birth “for a 12 hour shift so I can ensure I’m too exhausted to ever bond with the child,” Lonsdale clarified that his position only applies to certain men – specifically, “if you’re a leader in society.”
He declared that people working in unfulfilling jobs should take as much leave as possible and “find something inspiring to do.”
Lonsdale – a longtime associate of right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel – is no stranger to controversy and was accused of sexually assaulting a 24-year-old woman in a mentorship program in 2015, though the case was later dropped. A libertarian, Lonsdale left Silicon Valley for Texas last year in protest over California’s tax rates.
Palantir, which Lonsdale co-founded, is also one of the most controversial companies in the tech industry.
In 2010, the shady data firm was involved in a plan for how to respond to “the WikiLeaks threat,” which included a proposition to “disrupt” journalist Glenn Greenwald’s support for the organization, with the aim of getting other journalists to abandon it.
In 2018, ties between Palantir and the disgraced data analytics company Cambridge Analytica were also alleged, while more recently, Palantir’s contracts with the Pentagon, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the UK National Health Service (NHS) have prompted privacy concerns.
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