Why Has Palantir CEO Alex Karp Lauded its Anti-Woke Culture?
Sometimes, being a CEO means being bold, decisive and saying exactly what you mean – whether that’s viewed by some as controversial or not.
Which is where Palantir CEO Alex Karp found himself on a recent earnings call on 3 November. Karp, who has headed up the software platform firm since 2005, told those on the call that Palantir is “the first company to be completely anti-woke”.
Praising the company’s employees for defending free speech, he also confirmed that the business works with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and supports Israel, according to a report from Business Insider.
In a statement released on the same day, Palantir reported close to US$1.2bn in revenue, a rise of 63% on the previous year, or the period ending in September 2025.
The company cited “accelerating and otherworldly growth” as the reasons behind the increase.
Palantir’s US commercial revenue more than doubled over the last 12 months, increasing by 121% to US$97m while its US government revenue rose by more than 50^% to US$486.
Karp said: “These are arguably the best results that any software company has ever delivered. That’s not hyperbolic.”
Free speech and lethal technology
Karp doubled-down on Palantir’s anti-woke culture on the call, praising those who work for the business for supporting free speech, and “fighting for the right side of what should work in this country – meritocracy, lethal technology,” Business Insider reports.
He said he ensures “Palantir stays as tribal and cultish and unique as it was 20 years ago” but focusing on bringing in “the right people”.
These values, he explained, are key to driving the company’s success, helping it to deliver “venture-quality results” to ordinary Americans. Palantir builds software platforms and other technologies for the US government and other private firms.
He told those on the call: “At Palantir, we are on the side of the average American who sometimes gets screwed because all the empathy goes to elite people, and none of it goes to the people actually dying on our streets. And that’s why, when you have an open border, it means that the average poor American earns less.”
According to Business Insider, Karp scrutinised current US border policies, adding: “We power ICE. We’ve supported Israel. Okay, these are very controversial. I don’t know why this is all controversial, but many people find that controversial.”
Karp also issued a 3 November shareholder letter, in which he said “American corporate culture remains one of the most adaptive on the planet”.
He called for a “return to a shared national experience” in the US, saying it “was a mistake to casually proclaim the equality of all culture and cultural values”.
Karp stressed the need for “an embrace of common identity that by definition puts forward certain ideas, values, culture, and ways of living at the exclusion of others".
Who is Alex Karp?
Karp started Palantir in 2003 with Peter Thiel, Stephen Cohen, Joe Lonsdale and Nathan Gettings.
His previous experience covers a broad spectrum of areas, including academia, law and finance, before taking the leadership role at the software firm in 2005.
As CEO he has guided the company through significant growth, securing contracts with US government agencies for intelligence and defence work, and later expanding into commercial data analytics with platforms like Foundry. He took the company public via a direct listing in 2020.
His leadership has been marked by outspoken views on supporting the US military and the West. He has overseen programmes supporting national security, critical infrastructure and AI adoption across allies and major corporates.
