Alex Karp Net Worth Explained: ‘We Are Crushing It’ Says Palantir’s Eccentric CEO

• Palantir CEO Alex Karp has an estimated net worth of around $7.86 billion.
• Karp co-founded Palantir in 2003 alongside Peter Thiel.
• Palantir’s 29% annual earnings growth can mostly be attributed to U.S. demand.

After posting impressive quarterly earnings on Monday, Feb. 3, Palantir stock jumped by as much as 24% in extended trading, defying a broader AI route that has dragged on many of its peers in the space.

The rally helped boost CEO and co-founder Alex Karp’s net worth to new heights he celebrated what has been a phenomenal year for Palantir shareholders.

Who Is Alex Karp?

Alex Karp is the unconventional and enigmatic CEO of Palantir Technologies, a company specializing in big data analytics and software solutions for government and private-sector clients.

Born in 1967 in Philadelphia, Karp took an unusual path to Silicon Valley, earning a PhD in neoclassical social theory from Goethe University Frankfurt, before founding Palantir.

In 2003, Karp joined forces with Peter Thiel, Stephen Cohen and Joe Lonsdale to establish Palantir.

While Thiel brought experience leading a technology startup from his success with PayPal, Karp became the company’s public face and chief decision-maker.

Known for his outspoken and sometimes contrarian views, Karp has steered Palantir through controversy, including criticism over its partnerships with U.S. defense and immigration agencies.

Despite these challenges, Karp’s leadership has been instrumental in Palantir’s growth into a publicly traded company worth over $190 billion today.

Palantir Founders Split Over 2024 Election

One a fierce libertarian and the other a self-avowed progressive who donated $360,000 to Joe Biden, the 2024 U.S. presidential election underscored the ideological divide between Palantir’s most well-known cofounders.

Karp, who publicly endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, justified his support by highlighting the importance of stable leadership and policies aimed at strengthening democratic institutions.

In contrast, Peter Thiel, known for his libertarian leanings and skepticism of centralized government, invested heavily in Republican campaigns and super PACs and backed Trump for the presidency.

Commenting on Thiel’s public support for Trump, Karp acknowledged that their divergent political alignments had created some tension.

“I didn’t enjoy it,” he said. “Because Peter had supported Mr. Trump, it was actually harder to get things done.”

Alex Karp’s Net Worth

As of January 2025, Bloomberg estimates Karp’s net worth to be around $7.86 billion.

Karp’s fortune can mostly be attributed to his Palantir holdings. Despite offloading shares worth hundreds of millions of dollars last year, the firm’s CEO still retains a 3.3% stake in the company worth around $6.3 billion, according to Fintel.

American AI Leadership

Although Karp supported Biden and Harris in the 2024 presidential election, his unapologetically pro-American worldview aligns with Trump’s approach to technology.

Both men have emphasized the need for strong U.S. leadership in AI, especially with respect to rising Chinese competition.

Commenting on Palantir’s explosive revenue growth during a fourth-quarter earnings call , Karp celebrated the company’s 29% annual revenue growth and echoed Trump’s rhetoric on Western and American technological dominance.

By focusing on the needs of the U.S. and its allies, Palantir can “power the West to its obvious, innate superiority,” he remarked. The strategy has also delivered impressive financial results. At 52%, Palantir’s domestic revenue growth outpaced the global average, with the firm closing a record $803 million worth of commercial U.S. contracts in the year to Dec. 31.

Meanwhile, Karp lamented Europe’s “anemic” AI growth:

“As much as I personally care about the broader West, including continental Europe, despite our best efforts, […] it does look like the continent of Europe will look to the past as a way of getting to the future and struggles with the idea that all the valuable technology in this area is built in America.”

In Karp’s Own Words

“The only solution to stop AI abuse is to use AI.”

“The tech scene in America is like the jazz scene in the 1950s.”

“While the relentless innovation of U.S. companies disrupts and reshapes global industries. Europe must adapt to the opportunities and challenges of AI, or risk ruin.”