Net Worth of Alex Karp Explained: Palantir’s Eccentric CEO Who Cut Biden a Check

• Palantir CEO Alex Karp has an estimated net worth of around $7.7 billion.
• Karp co-founded Palantir in 2003 alongside Peter Thiel.
• While Thiel threw his weight behind Trump in the 2024 U.S. presidential election,  Karp supported Biden and Harris.

After Palantir’s market capitalization roughly doubled throughout 2024, the value of its cofounders’ stock holdings ballooned.

Although Peter Thiel and CEO Alex Karp have both benefited from the company’s soaring share price, they are divided on political matters. During the 2024 election campaign, Karp threw his support behind Biden and Harris, while Thiel backed Trump’s Republicans.

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 nearly $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 December 2024, Forbes estimates  Karp’s net worth to be around $7.7 billion.

Karp’s fortune can mostly be attributed to his Palantir holdings. Despite offloading  shares worth hundreds of millions of dollars this year, the firm’s CEO still retains a 3.3% stake in the company worth around $5.3 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 third-quarter earnings call, Karp attributed the company’s success to “unrelenting AI demand.” However, he added the caveat that demand hasn’t increased evenly in all markets.

Echoing Trump’s rhetoric on American technological dominance, Karp emphasized that “this is a U.S.-driven AI revolution that has taken full hold.”

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.”