Palantir Recruiter to Highway Landing: Meet Defense Tech's Power Broker

A Controversial Figure in Defense Tech Recruiting

In 2023, Peterson Conway VIII, a prominent defense technology recruiter, arrived at the offices of the nuclear fusion startup Fuse in a black Suburban, sporting his trademark cowboy hat.

He collected a newly hired employee and began sharing anecdotes from his extensive recruiting career.

One such story involved the presence of sex workers at a recruiting event, a detail Conway quickly clarified to TechCrunch was not related to any illicit activities.

Initial Dismissal and Subsequent Reinstatement

The new Fuse employee expressed discomfort with the story.

Conway acknowledged his lapse in judgment, admitting he had been behaving inappropriately.

Fuse’s founder, JC Btaiche, learned of the conversation and made the decision to terminate Conway’s contract, though he indicated to TechCrunch that this incident wasn't the sole reason for the dismissal.

Persistence and Influence

Despite being fired, Conway remained engaged with Fuse.

Having established himself as a key behind-the-scenes player in the defense tech sector, Conway had previously recruited for high-profile companies like Palantir and Mach Industries.

He dedicated nearly five years to recruitment for Joe Lonsdale’s venture firm, 8VC, and its associated companies.

More recently, he assumed the role of head of talent at the venture firm A*.

Continued Efforts and Key Hires

Even after his initial dismissal, Conway continued to present candidates to Btaiche.

He actively sought to attract potential hires, even offering extravagant incentives like private plane flights or adventurous outings, as he described: “go blow s— up out in the desert.”

After several months, Fuse ultimately reinstated Conway.

He has since been instrumental in recruiting over seven individuals to Fuse, including Laura Thomas, the company’s chief strategy officer, who previously served as a CIA officer.

A Unique Industry Representative

Conway embodies many characteristics of the defense tech industry itself: wealth, determination, a penchant for remarkable storytelling, and, by most accounts, exceptional talent.

According to a dozen individuals interviewed by TC, Conway consistently succeeds in attracting highly skilled professionals from secure positions to the dynamic world of startups.

“There’s a line between crazy and genius,” Btaiche observed, “And I think he’s just on that line.”

Growth in Defense Tech Funding

With defense tech funding reaching nearly $3 billion last year, Conway is positioned to inspire a new generation to contribute to advancements in areas like next-generation nuclear reactors and AI-driven weaponry.

Impact on Emerging Talent

“There’s a whole community of young people in the Valley, often working jobs in the defense sector or in national security or on very ambitious, difficult things,” stated Gregory Dorman, a recent Princeton graduate.

He collaborated with entrepreneur and A* partner Kevin Hartz on his new security startup, Sauron, through an introduction facilitated by Conway.

“And they’re there because of Peterson.”

Safety Regulation Non-Compliance

A signature tactic employed by Conway involves taking potential candidates on flights in his small aircraft. He jokingly stated that he aims to make them uncomfortable until they agree to the conditions of proposed agreements.

My initial encounter with him occurred at an airport located in San Carlos, California, just prior to boarding his compact, two-person plane. This plane was acquired through a loan facilitated by Shyam Sankar, the CTO of Palantir. A prominent notice within the cockpit cautioned: “This aircraft is classified as an experimental light-sport aircraft and does not comply with the federal safety standards applicable to conventional aircraft.”

Shortly thereafter, we ascended, flying over the glistening San Francisco Bay while Conway shared the narrative of his remarkable life. His father, Peterson Conway VII, evaded military service, engaged in the sale of LSD in Tokyo, and ultimately relocated to Afghanistan during the 1970s with Conway’s mother, who was a Mormon educator.

Following a series of adventures throughout the Middle East and Africa, they settled in Carmel to raise Conway and his sibling, but their marriage eventually dissolved.

“My father attempted to end his life there,” Conway remarked casually as we flew over the Golden Gate Bridge. He further clarified that this suicide attempt was unsuccessful, as he was intercepted by safety netting and remains alive, currently operating an antique shop in Carmel.

Conway initially deviated from his father’s lifestyle by briefly pursuing a conventional path, enrolling at Dartmouth to study economics. However, post-graduation, in the early 2000s, he transitioned into the role of a recruiter.

According to Conway’s account, he was traversing San Francisco on his motorcycle, seeking suitable office space. He noticed a warehouse with a loading ramp, drove onto it, and directly encountered Hartz. At that time, Hartz was in the initial phases of developing Xoom, a financial technology service for international money transfers, which was later acquired by PayPal.

Conway recounts that Hartz inquired about his skillset. “None,” Conway responded. “However, I can handle lunch deliveries, possess adequate writing skills, and own an Airstream trailer – we could even go surfing.”

Hartz disputed this version of events, stating with a laugh, “That story is completely fabricated.” Hartz clarified that Conway simply leased office space within the same building, initiating his recruitment efforts for Xoom and subsequently, the wider PayPal network.

When Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal, established Palantir in 2003, Conway found himself favorably positioned and began recruiting personnel for the company. Conway reportedly held no formal position within the defense firm, being referred to simply as “Peterson,” akin to a defense technology “mononymous artist reminiscent of Prince or Madonna,” as described by Gabe Rosen, 8VC’s humanities specialist who collaborated with Conway at Palantir.

Palantir tasked Conway with expanding its international teams globally. Conway asserts that the company prioritized candidates with a strong “internal compass and conviction,” individuals who had critically examined their upbringing and forged their own unique paths.

As an illustration, Conway alleges receiving requests such as “locate an individual who is Jewish, married to a Christian from the Australian outback, and identifies as gay.” Palantir declined to provide a statement on this matter.

Conway was recognized for attracting recruits through the use of handwritten letters sealed with wax. These unconventional methods proved effective, resulting in hires such as Michael Leiter, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and numerous international employees for Palantir.

Unconventional Recruitment Tactics

During the previous summer, Conway and his father undertook a flight to the Mojave Desert utilizing Hartz’s aircraft, which had been borrowed specifically for the purpose. They encountered a group of young professionals preparing a drone for mounting onto a truck, resembling a scene from the concept of American Dynamism.

This activity was a testing phase for Mach Industries, a defense firm established by Ethan Thornton at the age of 19. Mach represents one of several defense and hardware companies for which Conway actively recruits talent as the head of talent acquisition at A*. The company has successfully secured over $80 million in funding from investors including Bedrock and Sequoia Capital.

As the team conducted setup procedures with orange cones and explosive materials for their engineering evaluations, Conway offered aerial tours in Hartz’s plane. Hartz recounted the landings as being particularly rough, resulting in loose components within the aircraft. Conway disputed this account, stating the plane merely “became quite dirty” and a window covering was displaced.

Conway asserts he was instrumental in recruiting Gabriela Hobe, a former SpaceX employee, and Fasil Mulatu Kero, Mach’s vice president of manufacturing and a previous Tesla staff member. He indicated that Thornton has compensated him handsomely for his services, potentially exceeding a million dollars, though he later retracted the specific monetary figure.

Throughout the defense technology sector, numerous individuals share remarkable anecdotes concerning Conway. On one occasion, after a positive interaction with an Uber driver, he unexpectedly arranged a ride for a founder, instructing the founder to interview the driver as a potential employee.

In another instance, Btaiche of Fuse reported that Conway provided a Porsche, complete with the keys, at the airport for a prospective candidate—a government contractor—upon their arrival. The company later clarified this was a four-seater vehicle provided to reduce transportation expenses.

The candidate utilized the Porsche for meetings and concluded the day at Conway’s residence, an expansive estate in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, filled with antiques inherited from his father and trophies from hunting expeditions. Conway regularly hosts dinners for candidates at his home, with his father handling the cooking, and also organizes events such as a birthday celebration for Joe Lonsdale and a wedding for Sankar.

However, Btaiche believes Conway’s greatest strength lies not in his extravagant gestures, but in his capacity to discuss “candidates in a more relatable, human context, moving beyond simply reviewing résumés and qualifications.”

For Fuse’s recruitment efforts, Conway collaborated with Btaiche to explore the formative experiences that might cultivate leadership qualities or innovative thinking in engineers. Consequently, they have targeted individuals from rural backgrounds, former athletes, and avid gamers.

Regarding attracting top talent, Btaiche explained that Conway emphasizes the critical importance of national defense. “If you are contributing to a truly impactful mission,” he stated, “Peterson can effectively convey that narrative.”

Dorman, who experienced Conway’s unique approach firsthand, was a philosophy student at Princeton considering career paths in Silicon Valley or New York when he encountered the recruiter. Conway successfully steered him towards the Valley, convincing him of the opportunities available. “Peterson demonstrates that there is genuine excitement and challenge to be found there,” he said.

For years, Conway has cultivated an image as a somewhat unconventional figure within the tech industry, and it appears the broader tech landscape is now aligning with this perspective. He expressed approval of the growing interest in American Dynamism, a term popularized by Andreessen Horowitz to describe companies operating in close proximity to the government. “It’s absolutely ideal, teetering on the edge of zealousness,” Conway remarked. “It has evolved into a belief system in its own right.”

A Compelling Persona

A recurring observation regarding Marc Conway centers on his multifaceted nature: a brilliant mind, a significant force within the defense technology sector, and occasionally, a source of risk.

For example, shortly after my flight with him, he contacted me with a question: “Were you following the recent news?”

The previous day, Conway had departed from the Carmel region for Silicon Valley on a 6 a.m. flight. During the pre-dawn hours, while inspecting the fuel gauge, he neglected to activate a flashlight, leading to an inaccurate reading. “A complete misjudgment on my part, attributable to pilot error,” he admitted.

While airborne, he discovered insufficient fuel to reach the closest airport. Conway recounted this incident with dramatic flair, framing it as a pivotal moment, a confrontation between favorable and unfavorable outcomes.

He initially considered landing on a school’s athletic field, but quickly dismissed the idea, expressing concern about the potential danger to students. “The thought of a propeller encountering a child was deeply unsettling,” he explained.

Consequently, he chose to land his aircraft on Highway 85, aiming for a touchdown in the direction of oncoming traffic, believing it would minimize risk to motorists. Remarkably, the small plane landed safely on the highway, with no injuries to Conway or damage to vehicles.

Conway then alerted me to the fact that our flight had been perilously close to a similar predicament. “Had we continued much further, we would have been out of fuel,” he stated.

This statement was later revealed to be inaccurate; he acknowledged having flown the plane again after our trip. However, he presented our journey as a profoundly meaningful experience, imbuing it with lasting significance. Extensive time spent with him – and subsequent months verifying his accounts – demonstrated Conway’s exceptional talent for narrative.

This skill is a key reason for his frequent employment by leading organizations, as well as his occasional dismissals and subsequent re-hirings.

As Dorman observed, “He represents a remarkably unorthodox approach to recruitment.” Despite this, he is also “unequaled in his effectiveness as a recruiter.”