Democrats scored sweeping victories in this month’s midterm elections, including in deeply conservative areas. Now, Alex Karp, the tech executive who once cultivated close ties with President Trump, appears to be recalibrating his political position.
In a new interview with Politico, the Palantir CEO emphasized his progressive credentials and said he would support a Democrat for president. His comments quickly drew ridicule from critics who viewed the shift as a blatant political about-face.
“I’ve been a Democrat my whole life. I grew up in a far-left environment. I know more about being a progressive than almost anybody on the planet, and I absolutely believe Palantir — all of our products are essentially progressive,” Karp said.
That assertion stands in sharp contrast to the way Karp was viewed by many just a year ago.
Palantir Technologies, the secretive data-analytics company he leads, held contracts with the Trump administration that included work for Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency.
Karp also said last year that Palantir was the first company to become “completely anti-woke.” On several occasions, he defended Republican President Trump as well.
The tech executive, who was born in New Hampshire, once described Democrats as “completely irresponsible.”
“He has clearly shifted to the right, although he would probably say that he didn’t leave the left — the left left him,” Michael Steinberger, author of “The Philosopher in the Valley,” told The New York Post last year.
Following the midterm elections, however, Karp told Politico that Democrats had “absolutely” made enough corrections in 2026 to earn his support in 2028.
Karp, whose fortune is estimated at $18 billion, said he would not support a candidate affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America. At the same time, he used the interview to criticize capitalism’s shortcomings.
“‘What are you gonna do about economic justice in this country?’ And I would say the Democrats have an advantage here because for many Republicans there’s an orthodoxy that capitalism solves all problems,” Karp said.
“Maybe that was once true. I never thought it was true. It’s definitely not true now. And so basically everyone center, center-left understands this,” he added.
Karp also said Trump had made mistakes during his second term, citing the president’s recent acknowledgment that his immigration policies may have gone too far.
“I’m glad he’s saying in public now what I’ve been saying in private,” Karp claimed.
The CEO’s apparent change in political allegiance prompted backlash from members of the public and social media users who saw it as an act of political opportunism.
“Did he make a comment remotely close to this in the last 3 years? What a pandering POS,” one user wrote.
“Oh… tech sociopath who has been sucking up to Trump is now considering backing Democrats?
How very opportunistic of Karp!” another commenter said.
Others pointed out that Palantir depends heavily on government business, suggesting that Karp’s comments could simply reflect the company’s interest in maintaining favor with whichever party controls Washington.
However, one user, Thomas Chadowski, warned that the political pivot might not be enough to win back Democratic support.
“The Democrats are still coming after you for supporting DHS and we won’t forget you walking back your support for immigration enforcement,” he wrote.
