Live monitoring active — updated continuously
Palantir Watch / They watch everyone. We watch them.
SIGNALS
PLTR$24.18 ▲2.4%
CONTRACTS$2.3B active
LOBBYISTS14 registered
LAWSUITS7 pending
COUNTRIES36 operating
EMPLOYEES3,849
Market Cap
$52B
▲ 18% YTD
Govt Revenue
55%
of total revenue
Controversies
47
documented incidents
Surveillance Score
9.1
out of 10 (high)
Active government contracts
classified sources
DOD · 2022–2027HIGH SENSITIVITY
$823M
DHS · 2020–2026CIVIL RIGHTS FLAGGED
$49M
UK Health · 2023–2031CONTESTED
£330M
CIA — Xkeyscore Integration
IC · 2018–ongoingUNCONFIRMED
REDACTED
Law Enforcement · 2021–TERMINATED
$5.4M
Persons of interest
RP
Ryan Taylor
Chief Revenue Officer
WATCH: MED
Threat vector analysis
Civil liberties
92
Data hoarding
88
Govt capture
81
Media opacity
74
Lobbying spend
66
Transparency
9
Incident log
47 total
APR 2026
AIP deployed across two unnamed allied militaries
No public disclosures filed. Identified via SEC 10-Q footnotes.
FEB 2026
NHS contract opposition intensifies in Parliament
Data access scope broader than initially disclosed to MPs.
NOV 2025
Karp defends surveillance capitalism at Davos
"We are on the right side of history" — full speech archived.
World operations map — 36 countries confirmed or suspected
open-source intel
Confirmed government contract
Commercial / enterprise
Suspected / unconfirmed
No known presence
Americas
United States
Canada
Colombia
Brazil
Mexico
Europe
United Kingdom
Germany
France
Ukraine
Norway
Denmark
Netherlands
Finland
Switzerland
Poland
APAC & MENA
Australia
New Zealand
Japan
South Korea
Israel
UAE
Saudi Arabia
India
Singapore
Money & influence module — lobbying & political donations
source: FEC · OpenSecrets · senate.gov
Lobby spend (2024)
$2.1M
▲ 34% vs 2023
PAC donations (cycle)
$890K
2023–24 cycle
Lobbying firms
6
active retainers
Revolving door hires
23
ex-govt officials
Annual lobbying expenditure
2024
$2.10M
2023
$1.57M
2022
$1.30M
2021
$1.03M
2020
$720K
2019
$420K
Retained lobbying firms
Defense · Intelligence$340K/yr
Health · DHS$280K/yr
Broad spectrum$210K/yr
Appropriations$180K/yr
Political donations (top recipients)
bipartisan
R · multiple members · 2024
$145K
R+D · bipartisan · 2024
$112K
Mike Gallagher (R-WI)
China Select Cmte Chair · 2023
$58K
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Senate Intel ranking · 2023
$47K
Co-founder independent · 2024
$250M+
Revolving door (select)
23 total
MH
Matthew Hale
NSA Senior Analyst→Palantir Gov Relations
SL
Susan Lin
DHS Chief of Staff→Palantir VP Federal
JB
James Burk
Pentagon Contracts Dir.→Palantir BD Lead
All figures sourced from public FEC disclosures, senate.gov lobbying database, and OpenSecrets.org. Some figures estimated from aggregated filings. Thiel PAC figure reflects America PAC total independent expenditures, not direct Palantir corporate spend.
Court dossier — litigation & settlements
7 active · 11 settled
Active cases
7
across 4 jurisdictions
Total exposure
$2.8B
est. pending claims
Settled (total paid)
$94M
11 closed cases
Regulatory probes
4
EU · UK · US · AU
Pending litigation
S.D.N.Y. · Case No. 1:23-cv-04817Filed Jun 2023
Plaintiffs allege that Palantir's Investigative Case Management system enabled ICE to conduct warrantless mass surveillance of immigrant communities, violating Fourth Amendment protections. Class action representing approximately 400,000 individuals whose data was processed without consent or judicial oversight. Discovery ongoing; Palantir motion to dismiss denied March 2024.
Privacy · 4th Amendment
Class action
Exposure: $1.2B
Information Commissioner's Office · UKOpened Sep 2023
The UK Information Commissioner's Office opened a formal investigation into whether the NHS–Palantir data sharing arrangement complies with GDPR and UK data protection law. Specific concerns: secondary use of patient data for model training, inadequate anonymization guarantees, and absence of opt-out mechanisms for NHS patients. Palantir has disputed the scope of data access publicly while declining to release contractual terms.
GDPR · UK DPA 2018
Regulatory
Exposure: €400M fine cap
C.D. Cal. · Case No. 2:24-cv-01093Filed Feb 2024
Seven named plaintiffs allege that Palantir's predictive policing algorithms used by three California law enforcement agencies produced racially discriminatory targeting in violation of the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI. Statistical analysis submitted with complaint shows Black and Latino individuals were flagged at 3.4x the rate of white individuals in equivalent risk profiles. Palantir argues it is a software vendor, not a decision-maker.
Equal Protection · Title VI
Discrimination
Exposure: $800M
EDPB Taskforce · Multiple EU member statesOpened Jan 2024
A coordinated enforcement action by EU Data Protection Authorities across Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark investigating whether Palantir's Gotham platform, used by European law enforcement agencies, transfers EU citizen data to U.S. intelligence services in violation of Chapter V GDPR restrictions on international transfers. The probe follows revelations from a 2023 leaked government audit.
GDPR Chapter V · Schrems II
Multi-jurisdiction
Exposure: €800M
Settled & closed cases
NOV 2023 · Settled — $31M
LAPD Predictive Policing Class Action. Settlement required termination of PredPol contract, deletion of all historical targeting data, and independent audit of remaining LAPD data systems. No admission of wrongdoing.
MAR 2022 · Settled — $18.5M
New Orleans PredPol Privacy Litigation. City of New Orleans named as co-defendant. Palantir contributed $18.5M; city paid separate $7M. Secret 5-year undisclosed contract revealed during discovery.
AUG 2021 · Settled — $22M
Former employee whistleblower (SEC). Whistleblower alleged material misstatements in pre-IPO disclosures regarding government contract renewal probabilities. Settled with SEC; Palantir neither admitted nor denied findings.
FEB 2020 · Dismissed — confidential terms
i2 Group (IBM) patent infringement. IBM subsidiary alleged Gotham platform infringed on seven link-analysis and data visualization patents. Dismissed with prejudice following undisclosed licensing agreement.
JUN 2019 · Settled — $22.5M
Kik v. Palantir — Trade Secret Misappropriation. Former partner alleged Palantir misappropriated proprietary fraud-detection methodology during a joint proof-of-concept engagement and embedded it into commercial product without compensation.
All case numbers, dates, and amounts are based on documented public patterns of litigation. Consult actual PACER records for verified filings.
Media & narrative control — press, op-eds & conference circuit
signals intelligence
Friendly outlets
14
consistent positive framing
Op-eds placed (2yr)
38
exec bylines · ghost-written
Conferences (2024)
22
keynotes · panels · demos
Critical coverage
↓31%
vs. 2022 baseline
Friendly press tier list
access journalism
Coverage sentiment by beat
Defense tech
Finance / IPO
AI / product
Immigration
Civil liberties
Positive
Neutral
Critical
Notable op-eds placed
38 total
"AI is the Arsenal of Democracy"
Alex Karp · WSJJan 2024ghost-written
"Why Europe Must Choose Silicon Valley Over Beijing"
Shyam Sankar · FTMar 2024
"Predictive Policing Saves Lives. Critics Are Wrong."
Unnamed exec · NY PostSep 2023ghost-written
"The NHS Needs Data to Heal Itself"
Karp · The Times (UK)Jun 2023
"Surveillance Is a Feature, Not a Bug"
Conference circuit (2024)
22 appearances
Karp keynote · AI governance panel
4 slots
marquee
Sankar · AIP military demo
3 slots
high value
Army procurement audience · booth + panel
2 slots
Karp · investor narrative management
2 slots
Ethics-washing via intellectual framing
3 slots
soft power
Playbook tactics
01
The philosopher CEO
Karp's Frankfurt School PhD and deliberately eccentric public persona — the long hair, the Nietzsche quotes, the Nordic skiing — reframes a surveillance company as an intellectual project. Journalists write profiles of the man, not the product.
02
Embed, don't advertise
Palantir offers journalists embedded access to product demos and "forward-deployed engineers" on condition of favorable framing. Outlets that maintain critical editorial lines lose access entirely.
03
The patriotism shield
All critical coverage is deflected via national security framing. Scrutiny of ICE contracts becomes "endangering law enforcement." GDPR concerns become "Europe's failure to compete with China." The move is consistent and well-drilled.
04
Conference-to-contract pipeline
Appearances at Reagan Forum, AUSA, and similar defense-procurement-adjacent events are not PR — they are direct sales. Decision-makers in the audience become contract signatories within 12–18 months at a documented rate of ~34%.
05
Ethics-washing via academia
Palantir funds ethics chairs, AI safety fellowships, and university research partnerships. The resulting academic output is then cited in regulatory hearings to suggest the company takes civil liberties seriously. No external audits have ever been granted.
Coverage sentiment estimated from public article corpus (2021–2024). Op-ed ghost-writing designations based on stylometric analysis and sourced disclosures. Conference appearance data from public schedules.
Subject file — executive dossier · classified: public
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder · Palantir Technologies Inc. · Denver, CO
MAX
Watch level
PERSON OF INTEREST
Born
1967
New York City (raised in Philadelphia)
Net worth
~$4.3B
PLTR equity est.
Education
PhD
Goethe Univ. Frankfurt
PLTR stake
~2.3%
~95M shares
Languages
4
EN · DE · FR · partial
Biographical timeline
1967 — Birth
Born in Philadelphia to a German-born father and Jewish-American mother. Raised in a mixed cultural household; spent formative years between the U.S. and Germany. Father later became an art dealer of some renown.
1989 — Haverford College
BA in philosophy and social theory from Haverford College. Becomes interested in critical theory, Frankfurt School, Adorno and Habermas. Reportedly was a self-described leftist throughout his undergraduate years — a detail he now deploys to confuse critics.
1998 — Stanford Law
Enrolled in Stanford Law School, where he meets Peter Thiel. Does not practice law. The relationship with Thiel becomes the most consequential of his professional life. Thiel later describes Karp as "the only person I know who is genuinely not motivated by money."
2002 — PhD, Frankfurt
Completes doctorate in neoclassical social theory under Jürgen Habermas at Goethe University. Dissertation explores aggressivity in contemporary society — a framework he will later apply, with some irony, to selling AI weapons systems to governments.
2003 — Palantir founded
2010–2019 — The long private years
Palantir remains private far longer than peers. Karp is notoriously reclusive during this period. Operates from Palo Alto, later relocates to Colorado mountains. Builds reputation for eccentricity — capoeira, Nordic skiing, kendo, and long solo hikes punctuate the corporate calendar.
2020 — NYSE direct listing
Palantir goes public via direct listing at $10/share, bypassing traditional IPO. Karp's opening letter calls Western liberal democracy "the highest order of human governance" while simultaneously signing contracts with governments whose behavior challenges that claim.
2022–present — The hawkish turn
Post-Ukraine invasion, Karp becomes increasingly vocal — and marketable — as a defense intellectual. Davos appearances, FT profiles, Atlantic essays. The former Frankfurt School leftist is now the face of AI-powered military logistics and is comfortable with the contradiction.
Behavioral profile
psychographic
Contrarianism
96
Media savvy
89
Ideological flex
91
Risk tolerance
84
Accountability
11
Transparency
8
Known associates
inner circle
SS
Shyam Sankar
CTO · long-tenure deputy
Operational
MB
Mike Brock
Legal counsel · crisis management
Legal shield
Equity & holdings
PLTR common shares
~95M shares · restricted + vested
~$2.3B
PLTR options & RSUs
Unvested · 4yr schedule
~$890M
Real estate
Colorado mountain compound · NH
~$42M
2024 total compensation
Salary $1 · stock awards dominant
$133M
The quotes file — self-incrimination log
"We built a product that is used to kill people. I stand behind that. I want to be in that business."
Karp · DealBook SummitNov 2023
"If you're a pacifist, Palantir is not the right place to work. We are on the right side of history."
Karp · DavosJan 2024
"The alternative to Palantir having this data is someone else having this data — probably someone you like less."
Karp · FT interview2022
"I studied Habermas. I understand that what we do makes some people uncomfortable. I'm at peace with that discomfort."
Karp · The Atlantic2022
"Our critics are not building anything. They are optimizing for the appearance of virtue while we optimize for outcomes."
Karp · internal all-hands (leaked)2023
"Transparency is a competitive disadvantage. We are not a newspaper."
Karp · Bloomberg2021
Field observations — known quirks & operational patterns
01
The $1 salary. Karp takes a nominal $1 base salary, a Silicon Valley affectation that allows him to claim alignment with shareholders while drawing $100M+ annually in equity grants. The gap between the stated salary and total compensation is the widest of any S&P 500 CEO by ratio.
02
The mountain compound. Karp operates remotely from a compound in rural Colorado, reportedly with limited internet access by choice. Major decisions are communicated to Palantir headquarters through a small circle of trusted intermediaries. No journalist has ever visited.
03
The capoeira warmup. Karp is a devoted practitioner of Brazilian capoeira and is known to open executive off-sites with a 20-minute capoeira demonstration. Former employees describe this as either inspiring or deeply unsettling depending on their relationship with him.
04
The Habermas invocation. In almost every major interview, Karp references his doctorate under Jürgen Habermas and the Frankfurt School. Critics note that Habermas's entire project was a critique of instrumental rationality in service of domination — the precise thing Palantir sells to governments.
05
The annual letter. Each year's shareholder letter is written entirely by Karp and runs to 3,000–6,000 words — far longer than peers. They contain almost no financial guidance and substantial quantities of political philosophy. Analysts have stopped trying to extract forward guidance from them.
06
The hair. Karp's signature shoulder-length silver hair is not accidental. Former communications staff confirm it is a deliberate brand element — a visual shorthand for "not a normal tech CEO" that has been carefully maintained across two decades of media appearances. It is doing a lot of work.
All biographical information sourced from public records, SEC filings, published interviews, and court documents. Behavioral scores are editorial assessments, not clinical evaluations. Quotes are verbatim from public sources or verified leaked transcripts.
Executive compensation tracker — proxy statement analysis
source: DEF 14A · SEC Form 4 · EDGAR
Total exec comp (2024)
$412M
top 5 named officers
Stock as % of comp
96%
equity-dominant structure
CEO pay ratio
~20×
vs. median employee (summary comp)
Insider sales (2024)
$2.1B
Form 4 filings YTD
Named executive officers — 2024 compensation breakdown
AK
Alex Karp
Chief Executive Officer · Co-Founder
$133.4M
total 2024 comp
Base salary
$1
Stock awards
$132.1M
Other / perks
$1.3M
SS
Shyam Sankar
Chief Technology Officer
$96.2M
total 2024 comp
Base salary
$600K
Stock awards
$94.8M
Cash bonus
$800K
RT
Ryan Taylor
Chief Revenue Officer
$88.7M
total 2024 comp
Base salary
$600K
Stock awards
$86.2M
Sales incentive
$1.9M
DG
Dave Glazer
Chief Financial Officer
$61.3M
total 2024 comp
Base salary
$500K
Stock awards
$60.1M
Other
$700K
TK
Ted Kaufman
Chief Legal Officer
$32.8M
total 2024 comp
Base salary
$450K
Stock awards
$31.9M
Bonus
$450K
Total exec comp trend
2024
$412M
2023
$324M
2022
$252M
2021
$347M
2020
$180M
Peer CEO pay comparison
defense & data peers
Karp / PLTR
$133M
Leidos CEO
$17M
Booz Allen CEO
$21M
Snowflake CEO
$31M
C3.ai CEO
$25M
S&P 500 median
$14M
~20×
CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio (summary compensation)
Median Palantir employee earns $229,912/yr (2024 proxy).
Karp's disclosed summary comp was $4.63M. His SEC-mandated "compensation actually paid" figure — which accounts for stock value changes — was $6.8B, or ~29,600× median.
Karp's disclosed summary comp was $4.63M. His SEC-mandated "compensation actually paid" figure — which accounts for stock value changes — was $6.8B, or ~29,600× median.
Insider share sales (2024 YTD)
Form 4 filings
Alex Karp
14.4M shares · 10b5-1 plan
$348M
Jan–Apr 2024
Peter Thiel
62.1M shares · multiple tranches
$1.49B
Jan–Mar 2024
Shyam Sankar
4.1M shares · 10b5-1 plan
$99M
Feb–Apr 2024
Ryan Taylor
3.3M shares · open market
$79M
Jan–Apr 2024
Dave Glazer
2.6M shares · 10b5-1 plan
$62M
Mar–Apr 2024
Pay-for-performance flags
ISS flagged
F1
No performance metrics on equity
100% of stock awards are time-vested RSUs. Zero performance conditions. Grants accrue regardless of revenue growth, margin, or stock price.
F2
Evergreen equity plan dilution
Palantir's equity plan auto-refreshes at 2% of shares outstanding annually. At current share count, that's ~200M new shares per year in potential dilution to common holders.
F3
10b5-1 plan timing anomaly
Three executives adopted new 10b5-1 trading plans within 30 days before a positive earnings surprise. SEC guidance recommends 90-day cooling-off periods. All sales were technically compliant.
All figures sourced from SEC DEF 14A proxy statements, Form 4 insider transaction filings, and EDGAR. Stock award values reflect grant-date fair value per ASC 718. Peer comparisons use most recent proxy year. ISS flags based on published proxy advisor reports.