Some see Karp as a dystopic supervillain. He responds to those critics aggressively, bluntly, and without a shred of remorse. After years of contracts, the company has apparently proven to the government’s satisfaction that its tools can effectively leverage information on the battlefield and in intelligence operations. Palantir has a multimillion-dollar contract with ICE involving “targeting and enforcement”—essentially helping the agency to locate people for deportation. In Ukraine, Karp says with pride, the company’s products have helped deliver lethal force. Palantir has a Code of Conduct that supposedly binds the company to, among other things, “protect privacy and civil liberties,” “protect the vulnerable,” “respect human dignity,” and “preserve and promote democracy.” In an open letter last May, 13 former workers accused Palantir’s leadership of having abandoned its founding values and of being complicit in “normalizing authoritarianism under the guise of a ‘revolution’ led by oligarchs.” Karp has also revealed that other employees have left because of the company’s work with the Israel military. His retort: If you’re not generating opposition, you’re probably doing something wrong.
Beneath his fiery defense of Palantir, I sense that Karp yearns to be understood. He noted that all anyone wants to talk to him about is ICE, Israel, and Ukraine. I wanted to visit those subjects, too, and we did. But our conversation also touched on Donald Trump, democracy, and his love affair with German culture. Oh, and Central High.