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It’s Thursday!
Hello, Curse and Coffee friends,
Today, we look at Palantir’s free nicotine for staff (and guests).
Hit reply and let us know what you think (we read all of your kind words).
Coffee at the ready…
The Big Sip
The take: The defence contractor building AI for the Pentagon now stocks free nicotine pouches like they're sparkling water.
What happened: Tobacco startups Lucy and Sesh installed branded vending machines in Palantir's Washington DC office, offering flavoured nicotine pouches free to employees and guests over 21.
Why it matters: Silicon Valley is rebranding an addictive stimulant as a workplace perk — and the FDA hasn't approved these products as safe, only permitted them to be marketed.
What to watch: Whether other tech firms follow suit, and whether the FDA draws a harder line before nicotine pouches become the new office kombucha.
Palantir's head of strategic engagement posted the vending machine photo on X like it was a product launch.
Sponsor Break
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