Alex Karp, the enigmatic chief executive officer and cofounder of Palantir Technologies, a software company known for its complex data analytics platforms, has made it clear that he does not seek public affirmation of his company’s moral standing. At The New York Times’ DealBook Summit, Karp declared that while Palantir operates with a strong ethical compass, belief in that assertion is not a prerequisite for its validity. In his words, “We are highly ethical, but don’t believe us on that,” a remark that underscored both his confidence and his acknowledgment of skepticism surrounding the company.
Palantir, whose reputation for secrecy has long intrigued and unsettled observers, remains deliberately opaque about the precise nature of its software and the identities of its clients. Its flagship technologies, designed to process and interpret vast amounts of data, continue to be shrouded in mystery to those outside its restricted circles. In response to assumptions that Palantir develops surveillance systems, Karp took an assertive stance, dismissing such claims and clarifying that the company is not in the business of constructing massive databases for tracking individuals. Nonetheless, he admitted a nuanced point: if a government agency were conducting surveillance within the bounds of legality, Palantir’s systems could, in principle, incorporate that data. This statement highlighted the tension between technical capability and ethical application—a duality that perennially defines the company’s public image.
During the summit, Karp also defended Palantir’s collaborations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and his company’s participation in policies enacted during the Trump administration related to immigration enforcement. He explained that his personal and professional commitments center on two political objectives: immigration reform and what he termed the reestablishment of America’s deterrence capacity—its ability to project strength and maintain geopolitical stability. On those fronts, he credited President Trump with achieving tangible progress.
This endorsement marked a striking departure from Karp’s earlier political affiliations. In a 2024 interview with The New York Times, he stated his support for then–Vice President Kamala Harris during the presidential campaign and revealed that he had donated $360,000 to Joe Biden’s previous presidential effort. When pressed about his apparent shift in political alignment, Karp insisted that his principles had not wavered; rather, it was the political landscape itself—he argued—that had fluctuated, leaving his own positions fundamentally intact while the parties around him drifted.
In recent months, Karp has displayed a growing willingness to articulate his opinions openly, addressing controversial cultural and political topics during earnings calls and interviews. In one particularly pointed exchange, he described Palantir as “the first company to be completely anti-woke,” a declaration that positioned the firm against prevailing corporate social trends. Similarly, in August, he criticized recent college graduates for substituting depth of thought with “platitudes,” contrasting the rigor demanded by Palantir with what he perceives as the superficiality often cultivated by elite institutions. In its place, Karp said, Palantir intended to offer an alternative path to professional validation—“a new credential independent of class and background.” This approach reflects both his disdain for traditional hierarchies and his admiration for merit-based systems grounded in measurable capability rather than pedigree.
As Silicon Valley leadership moves away from the indulgent workplace cultures that once defined the technology sector—where free meals, lavish perks, and unstructured flexibility were considered standard—Karp has instead endorsed what he calls Palantir’s “warrior culture.” This philosophy emphasizes discipline, excellence, and unwavering dedication to mission objectives as the true hallmarks of tech innovation. In his view, genuine progress demands perseverance and a readiness to confront formidable challenges rather than seeking comfort or consensus.
An avowed progressive and a scholar who wrote his academic thesis on the study of fascism, Karp also used the same summit to reject what he described as the shallow equivalence drawn between Donald Trump and fascist ideology. He labeled such assertions “stupid,” signaling his frustration with what he sees as a misuse of historical terminology for political convenience.
Karp stands among a growing number of prominent technology executives who have recently expressed receptiveness to aspects of Trump’s policy agenda, particularly as the president’s second term has unfolded. Over the past year, several influential CEOs have restructured corporate strategies to align more visibly with federal initiatives. For instance, Mark Zuckerberg revised Meta’s content-moderation policies just before Trump’s inauguration, signaling a shift in approach to online discourse. At Apple, Tim Cook presented Trump with a 24-karat gold and glass statue handcrafted in the United States, symbolizing the company’s $600 billion pledge to reinvigorate American manufacturing—a cornerstone of the administration’s economic agenda. Meanwhile, at a White House dinner, Sam Altman of OpenAI publicly described the president as “a very refreshing change,” illustrating an unexpected realignment between segments of the tech sector and political power.
When Karp was later questioned about the constitutionality of Trump’s immigration policy, he offered an answer infused with both irony and conviction: “The more constitutional you want to make it, the more precise you want to make it, the more you’re going to need my product.” Through this statement, Karp succinctly encapsulated Palantir’s raison d’être—the belief that advanced analytical tools, when applied lawfully and intelligently, can bridge the space between moral complexity, political ambition, and technological execution.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/palantirs-ceo-defends-company-ethics-at-dealbook-summit-2025-12
