Palantir's Head of Sales Expresses Shock: "Wow"

In a surprising turn of events, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has expressed admiration for Palantir's operations, particularly their Forward-Deployed Engineer (FDE) model. According to reports, Benioff finds the FDE model "very cool."

The FDE approach, which involves engineers working directly with customers before a contract is signed, seems to be paying off for Palantir. This strategy has helped build closeness and trust with potential clients, binding them early in the process. It's a premium approach that, according to the government and enterprise segment, is proving to be effective.

In contrast, Salesforce does not have a similar approach where engineers start building products before a deal is sealed.

Recently, Palantir secured a significant contract with the U.S. Army, while Salesforce clinched a large deal of its own. The competition between the two tech giants for government contracts is becoming increasingly intense.

The prices Palantir charges for their services have left industry veterans, including Benioff, astonished. Despite the high costs, the revenue multiple that Palantir has achieved has left Benioff surprised.

Palantir's stock consolidated this week along the 50-day upward-trending line, indicating a positive development in recent trading days. However, the prices charged by Palantir have raised concerns, with DER AKTIONÄR previously analysing the situation and concluding that the recent price drop was not a cause for panic.

Meanwhile, Salesforce is targeting $41 billion in revenue and is currently valued at around $240 billion. Despite this, Benioff has expressed admiration for Palantir's market capitalization, which is forecasted to reach around $4 billion with a current valuation of approximately $310 billion.

It's important to note that the board and majority shareholder of the publisher Börsenmedien AG, Mr. Bernd Förtsch, has positions in Palantir's financial instruments. This could potentially benefit from the price development resulting from the publication.

Peter Thiel, a significant figure in Palantir's history, sold his shares in Palantir Technologies primarily before and around the time of Palantir's IPO in 2020. The specific time period of his stock sale is not detailed in the provided search results. However, there was significant market activity and investor interest around IPOs and share transactions in 2024-2025. Explicit dates for Thiel's stock sales are not available in the current sources.

In summary, Palantir's unique FDE approach has caught the attention of Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who finds it impressive. Despite the high prices charged by Palantir, their premium approach seems to be effective, as indicated by their successful government and enterprise contracts. The competition between Palantir and Salesforce for these contracts is heating up, with both companies securing significant deals. The development in Palantir's stock price suggests a positive trend, although concerns about the high costs remain.