A rare public rift has emerged inside Palantir as the company's head of global communications called CEO Alex Karp's political alignment with the Trump administration "concerning." Lisa Gordon's candid remarks at a tech summit reveal growing internal tensions as the data analytics giant deepens its government ties through a $10 billion Army contract and immigration enforcement tools.
The cracks are showing inside Palantir. For the first time, a senior executive is publicly questioning CEO Alex Karp's increasingly vocal support for Donald Trump, signaling potential turbulence at one of the government's most important data contractors.
Lisa Gordon, who's led global communications since 2009, didn't mince words at The Information's Women in Tech summit this week. "I think it's going to be challenging, as a lot of the company is moving pro-Trump, you know, is moving in a certain direction," she said. "It's concerning."
The timing couldn't be more significant. Palantir just locked in a $10 billion Army contract and built ImmigrationOS, a $30 million platform that helps ICE "streamline" immigrant deportations. The company even sponsored Trump's Army parade in June and donated to the White House ballroom renovation.
Gordon, a Democrat who worked on Walter Mondale's 1984 campaign, said Karp's "frustration with the Democrats" drove his political pivot. The CEO, who previously donated to Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, has become one of Trump's most vocal tech supporters.
But it's Gordon's warning about employee retention that reveals the deeper corporate culture shift. "You don't get fired for having a different position, but you will leave if you're not aligned, ultimately, like if you don't support Israel," she said, referencing Karp's staunch backing of Israel during the Gaza conflict.
Palantir has indeed supplied tools to Israel during the war, and Karp has acknowledged losing employees over his public positions.
The internal dissent comes as Palantir solidifies its role as the Trump administration's go-to AI contractor. The company's Gotham and Foundry platforms power everything from military logistics to immigration enforcement, making it indispensable to government operations.
