Alex Karp told Politico this week that Palantir is a progressive company, using the word eight times to describe his own philosophy and his business.
“I’ve been a Democrat my whole life,” Karp said. He added that he knows more about being a progressive than almost anybody on the planet and that all of Palantir’s products are essentially progressive.
Karp has made this claim before. In 2018, The New York Times reported that he described himself as a progressive and said he had voted for Hillary Clinton. He has donated money to Democratic candidates, including $360,000 to a joint fundraising committee for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2023. The next year, he donated $1 million to MAGA, Inc.
Palantir has some supporters from the Democratic party. It is not clear how the products of Palantir could reasonably be seen as progressive. The company built the technology that underpins much of the Trump administration’s arrest and deportation campaign. It sold tools to the US military that can use generative AI to help plan and execute drone strikes. It partnered with the Israeli military to assist in its war on the Gaza strip, among other things.
It is instructive to look at what else Karp has said in recent weeks and how it lines up with his idea of what is progressive.
In his most recent quarterly letter to Palantir shareholders, Karp doubled down on his basic premise. He argued that Palantir employees are the pioneers of a genuine and viable antiwar movement.
“We are all, in no uncertain terms, living through what John Lewis Gaddis, the professor of naval and military history at Yale, presciently described decades ago as the long peace,” Karp wrote. This statement ignores the fact that the US and Iran are currently engaged in direct warfare.
During Palantir’s earnings call on November 2, Karp was asked to clarify the statements in his letter.
“Our products are built to avoid war, meaning the adversary knows that they will have such pain inflicted upon them that in fact it’s not worth going to war,” Karp said. He did not address the relevant possibility that the US is the party that initiates war.
“I grew up as a lefty,” Karp continued. “I don’t actually like war. I want to avoid war. I don’t support wars.” But he added, “Sometimes they are necessary, and when they are necessary, America and its allies need the very, very, very best tools.”
Karp went on to say that Palantir has both a moral imperative and a mission reason for having the somewhat crazy aspiration of dominating its market. That mission, Karp said, is supporting the war fighter. Conveniently, it is also very profitable.
“We are delighted that we can support the war fighter even more because we’re making so much money,” Karp said.
Karp’s recent comments in Politico could also be seen through the lens of convenience. Democrats will have a majority in both chambers of Congress next year. Since about half of Palantir’s revenue comes from government work, it is pragmatic to sow goodwill. Palantir has seen continued success, after all, across Democratic and Republican administrations.
However, Karp does not care about cultivating favor with everybody. He pointedly excludes anyone who has criticized Palantir in what he calls ridiculously stupid and malicious, incredibly hard to understand attacks. Karp did not name examples, although many critiques of Palantir have come from the American left.
“What motivates me is helping to make sure we are fighting for you,” Karp said, addressing Palantir investors. “And quite frankly, making sure that the people that made fun of you and made fun of us are suffering.”
