Palantir has long faced scrutiny for providing data analysis tools used by ICE and other federal agencies. Civil rights groups have accused the company of enabling deportation operations that target undocumented immigrants. Karp, however, argued that the debate reflects a misunderstanding both of the technology and of the broader moral context.
When asked about young people, mothers, fathers, and families being separated by ICE, Karp said no American likes to see that. “This is the fairest, least bigoted, most open-minded culture in the world. But at some point, you’re abusing empathy,” he said.
He argued that outrage over ICE and immigration issues overlooks “working-class Americans”, especially incarcerated or disenfranchised groups who do not feature in the media and hence lack public empathy. “About 1% of the country is in prison. They lose their rights, they’re taken from their kids. That happens disproportionately to Black, Hispanic, and poor white men. Nobody cares, because it doesn’t serve a political agenda,” he said.
Karp also stressed that Palantir is aligned with working-class Americans. “At Palantir, we support people who go to the military. We help save their lives and bring them home safer,” he said. “Our AI actually makes workers more wealthy, more valuable.”
Karp also responded to claims that Palantir products can be used for surveillance, clarifying that the company does not build or sell a database system. “The most absurd rumour is that we built a database in Israel and brought it here,” he said. “You don’t need us to build a database.”
He added that Palantir’s tools can integrate legally obtained data but the transparent nature of the platform makes abuse nearly impossible. “Our product is the hardest in the world to misuse because every step is transparent. If you wanted to violate human rights, you’d leave a record of doing it.”
Karp also highlighted that Palantir has refused to work with governments that engage in mass surveillance. “We don’t work in Russia or China,” he said, adding that the company has ended contracts with institutions seeking to surveil Muslim Americans.