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Meet the Tech Billionaire Just as Dangerous as Elon Musk
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Meet the Tech Billionaire Just as Dangerous as Elon Musk

Eccentric Palantir CEO Alex Karp is profiting from Israel’s genocide abroad, and wants to make money off of Trump’s immigration crackdown at home.

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Taylor Lorenz
Apr 01, 2025
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Meet the Tech Billionaire Just as Dangerous as Elon Musk
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Alex Karp attends meetings at the US Capitol on Oct. 18, 2023. Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

On a call with investors in February, the billionaire CEO excitedly shouted, “We’re doin’ it!” with his arms outstretched. “And I’m sure you’re enjoying this as much as I am!” Surrounded by smiling sycophants, the T-shirted tech mogul continued: “We are crushing it… We are dedicating our company to the service of the West and the United States of America... [We are] here to disrupt and.. when it’s necessary to scare enemies and, on occasion, kill them.”

Elon Musk? Nope. Peter Thiel? Not quite.

As CEO of tech giant Palantir, which he co-founded with Thiel and others more than two decades ago, Alex Karp is part of a new breed of Silicon Valley billionaires seeking to integrate their businesses with America's military-industrial complex, while dismantling the government and championing deregulation of the economy. Though he's not yet as famous as his peers like Musk and Thiel, he's just as dangerous.

The outlandish Karp, who looks much younger than this 57 years of age, whose unruly hair has its own Twitter account, and who reportedly keeps Tai Chi swords in his office, is the most influential billionaire many of you may never have heard of. The Palantir boss supported first Joe Biden’s and then Kamala Harris's presidential runs, but has become increasingly reactionary. Last year, he said that wokeness is a "pagan religion" and a "danger" to America and the Western way of life. He has been an ardent supporter of Israel's genocide in Gaza, which Palantir has profited from. At an event in March, he said, “I don’t believe that all cultures are equal." In February, Karp said that Musk’s DOGE is a "revolution" and that "some people are going to get their heads cut off."

Palantir, which launched over two decades ago with initial funding from the CIA's venture capital arm, is today a crucial partner to US defense and intelligence agencies. As Palantir grew, a bulk of its business came from the FBI, the NSA, and the CIA. Palantir works closely with the military on data analysis, surveillance, AI, and more. The tech company has been completely woven into the fabric of our national security operations.

Palantir has also played a crucial role in the slaughter of innocent Palestinians.

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