Matt Bevan

But in the last few years, it's kind of been everywhere.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Palantir.

These days, Palantir is involved in everything from retail to military operations to immigration enforcement to space travel.

Up until recently, the CEO has tried to remain out of the spotlight.

And perhaps that was for a good reason, because since becoming more of a public figure, he's been saying things like this.

Our product is used on occasion to kill people.

Okie dokie.

Despite its exponential growth in size and strategic significance, Palantir is still a bit of a mystery to most people.

We're going to spend the next two weeks on this company, taking a look at Palantir's origin story and how it's grown to be one of the biggest companies in the world.

I'm Matt Bevan, and this is If You're Listening.

This story begins with a terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City, but not the one you're thinking of.

This one happened in 1993.

As New Yorkers came to terms with a possible act of terrorism on US soil, investigators released the first pictures of the explosion site, leaving little doubt that a powerful bomb was the most likely cause.

A van packed with 550 kilos of explosives was driven into an underground car park of the World Trade Centre.

It blasted a hole through three floors, killing six people instantly and injuring hundreds more.

For some time, it wasn't clear who was behind the attack.

As many as 19 groups have claimed responsibility for the explosion, but the mystery of who really did it remains unsolved.

One of the FBI agents involved in the investigation was John O'Neill.

He'd always wanted to be in the FBI, ever since he watched this imaginatively titled TV show back in the 1960s.

The people behind the 1993 attack were religious extremists from Pakistan, and John was instrumental in their capture.