# Palantir CEO's sudden pivot to 'progressive' rings hollow > Alex Karp claims his company is progressive after years of defending military violence, anti-woke rhetoric and attacks on Democrats. - Title: Palantir CEO's sudden pivot to 'progressive' rings hollow - Summary: Alex Karp claims his company is progressive after years of defending military violence, anti-woke rhetoric and attacks on Democrats. - Keywords: palantir, alex karp, progressive politics, military technology, anti-woke rhetoric, tech ceos, political positioning, The Verge - Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1032126/alex-baby-you-were-recorded-on-video - Author: Elizabeth Lopatto - Published: 2026-11-12T18:06:54+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: palantir, alex karp, progressive politics, military technology, anti-woke rhetoric, tech ceos, political positioning, technology, culture ## Karp claims Palantir is progressive Palantir CEO Alex Karp told Politico he has been a Democrat his whole life and that all of Palantir's products are essentially progressive. > 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. ## August 2024: defending border enforcement Karp told Maureen Dowd he would not apologize for defending the U.S. government on the border and defending Special Operations. > I'm not going to apologize for defending the U.S. government on the border, defending the Special Ops, bringing the people home. ## February 2025: organized violence quote In a shareholder letter, Karp quoted Samuel Huntington on the West's rise being enabled by superiority in applying organized violence, not ideas or values. > the rise of the West was not made possible 'by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion . . . but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence.' ## February 2025: making America lethal Palantir announced it is making America more lethal by analyzing data for U.S. armed forces to anticipate enemies' moves and locate their coordinates to kill them. > making America more lethal by analyzing troves of data for the U.S. armed forces and allies to help them anticipate enemies' moves, locate their coordinates 'and, on occasion, kill them.' ## November 2025: anti-woke positioning On an earnings call, Karp declared Palantir is the first company to be completely anti-woke, marking a sharp contrast to his recent progressive claims. > the first company to be completely anti-woke ## November 2025: talking to Nazis Karp said on an earnings call that he spends a lot of time talking to Nazis, describing them as real Nazis without further context or explanation. > I spend a lot of time talking to Nazis. Like, real Nazis. ## November 2025: attacking Democrats on masculinity Karp criticized Democrats for neglecting males and said high-testosterone masculinity is admirable, claiming Democrats have something wrong with their general vibe. > Democrats just completely neglect males. ... It's admirable to be a ... high-testosterone male. ## November 2025: competition is political Karp said Palantir's competition is political, claiming the woke left and woke right wake up figuring out how to hurt Palantir, and universities play a corrosive role. > Our competition is political. The woke left and the woke right wake up every day, figuring out how they can hurt Palantir. ## April 2026: undoing postwar settlements In a manifesto, Karp wrote that the postwar neutering of Germany and Japan must be undone, calling the defanging of Germany an overcorrection Europe is paying for. > The postwar neutering of Germany and Japan must be undone. The defanging of Germany was an overcorrection for which Europe is now paying a heavy price. ## April 2026: cultures ranked by advancement Karp's manifesto stated some cultures have produced vital advances while others remain dysfunctional and regressive, then claimed all cultures are now equal and criticism is forbidden. > Some cultures have produced vital advances; others remain dysfunctional and regressive. All cultures are now equal. Criticism and value judgments are forbidden. ## Pattern of contradictions undermines credibility Karp's sudden claim to progressivism contradicts three years of public statements defending military violence, attacking Democrats and embracing anti-woke positioning consistently. ## Key takeaway Palantir CEO Alex Karp claimed his company is progressive after recent elections, contradicting years of public statements defending military lethal force and attacking Democrats.