Alex Karp has spent his career telling people who he is. The problem is that his answer keeps changing depending on who is in the room. On November 11, 2026, days after Democrats swept the midterm elections to win majorities in both chambers of Congress, the Palantir CEO sat down with Politico and declared himself a lifelong progressive Democrat. He used the word "progressive" eight times. He said his company's products were "essentially progressive." He suggested Democrats had "absolutely" corrected course enough to win back his support in 2028.

This is the same Alex Karp who, months earlier, was calling the Democratic Party "totally irresponsible" and "childish." The same Alex Karp who called progressive "wokeness" a "thin pagan religion" and said the party was "committing suicide." The same Alex Karp who praised Donald Trump as "a model for entrepreneurs," donated $1 million to his inauguration fund, gave another $1 million to a pro-Trump super PAC, and helped bankroll up to $10 million toward the White House ballroom project. The same Alex Karp who boasted Palantir was the first major company to be "completely anti-woke."

The timing is not subtle. The shift came immediately after Democrats won control of Congress—and with it, the subpoena power to investigate Palantir's massive federal contracts, including a $30 million ICE deportation software deal called "ImmigrationOS" and a $10 billion Army software agreement. Palantir's federal contracts nearly doubled during Trump's second term, reaching $970.5 million in 2025. Now, with a Democratic majority poised to scrutinize Silicon Valley's ties to the Trump administration, Karp has hired former Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana as an advisor and is suddenly rediscovering his progressive roots.

The Turncoat CEO

Political observers across the spectrum have described Karp's behavior in blunt terms. The New Republic mocked his claim of being a lifelong progressive, noting that his record consists of "building military-grade surveillance tools for the Trump administration." Forbes reported that Karp said Democrats have "absolutely" corrected enough to gain back his support in 2028. Fast Company noted the billionaire tech boss, "who once branded his company as 'anti-woke,' is raising eyebrows across social media."

The pattern is consistent. Before 2024, Karp frequently described himself as a progressive and once stated he respected "nothing" about Donald Trump. From 2025 to fall 2026, with Trump in the White House and Republicans controlling Congress, Karp praised Trump, donated millions to his causes, and saw Palantir secure billions in federal contracts. At the December 2025 New York Times DealBook Summit, Karp called suggestions that Trump is a fascist "stupid" and "idiotic." Then, in November 2026, days after Democrats won Congress, Karp told Politico he has been a "Democrat my whole life" and criticized Trump's handling of immigration enforcement.

• Before 2024: Karp describes himself as a progressive, says he respects "nothing" about Trump.
• 2025–Fall 2026: Praises Trump as a "model for entrepreneurs," donates $1M to inauguration, $1M to pro-Trump super PAC, up to $10M to White House ballroom. Palantir secures $30M ICE deal and $10B Army contract.
• November 11, 2026: Days after Democrats win Congress, Karp declares himself a lifelong progressive Democrat and criticizes Trump's immigration enforcement.

Karp maintains he has always split his political donations evenly and has long described himself as a "reluctant" or "unhappy" Democrat. He argues his core priorities—strong national defense, border security, and skepticism of far-left socialism—have not changed. Instead, he claims the Democratic Party moved closer to his views during the 2026 cycle. But because the newly elected Democratic majorities do not take office until January 2027, the party has not yet passed new legislation or governed from a position of power. Karp is crediting Democrats for a "correction" that exists only in campaign messaging, not in governing record.

The Anti-Black Record

While Karp's political flexibility has drawn the most recent scrutiny, civil rights advocates and researchers have for years documented the racially disparate impacts of Palantir's technology and Karp's public positions on race and diversity. Karp himself is biracial—born to a Black mother and a Jewish father—and Forbes has listed him among Black billionaires. Yet, his company's tools and his corporate policies cause systemic harm to Black communities.

Palantir's predictive policing software, such as its Gotham platform, has been used by police departments including the LAPD in programs like Operation LASER. Investigative outlets including The Intercept and researchers at MIT Technology Review have documented how these tools rely on historical arrest data, creating feedback loops that justify disproportionate surveillance and over-policing in Black and Latino neighborhoods. MIT Technology Review concluded flatly in 2020: "Predictive policing algorithms are racist. They need to be dismantled." Civil rights groups argue that Palantir's tools techwash systemic bias, amplifying over-policing in marginalized communities while presenting the output as neutral data.

Karp has made opposing "wokeness" a central part of his public persona, boasting that Palantir was the first major tech company to be "completely anti-woke." His rejection of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion frameworks and affirmative action ignores systemic barriers facing Black professionals. In a widely circulated 22-point manifesto, Karp criticized the idea that all cultures are equal, arguing instead for the superiority of Western values—a framing that mirror older arguments used to justify racial profiling and cultural exclusion.

Karp has stated he is "mystified by how often we talk about race" in America, arguing that economic class—being born poor—is the primary source of disadvantage rather than race. He advocates for what he describes as strict meritocracy over race-conscious policies. While he was active in campus anti-racism organizing at Haverford College in the 1980s and participated in anti-apartheid protests, biographers note he has largely distanced himself from racial justice advocacy throughout his corporate career. When asked about his racial identity, Karp once said, "Some Black people considered me Black while some did not... I view me as me."

The Sycophant's Defense

Defenders of Karp in the business world argue that a defense contractor CEO has a fiduciary responsibility to work with both parties to keep the company viable regardless of who controls Congress or the White House. They describe his behavior not as personal submission but as calculated, bipartisan lobbying necessary for a major defense and intelligence contractor to survive across different administrations.

Karp himself insists he is simply playing "practical politics." But the timeline tells a different story. He praised Trump and donated millions while Republicans held power. He rebranded as a progressive days after Democrats won Congress. He hired a Democratic senator to advise him ahead of expected congressional investigations. And he claims the Democratic Party "corrected" itself before it has even taken office to govern.

Meanwhile, the communities most affected by Palantir's policing tools and ICE surveillance platforms—Black and brown Americans—have not seen a "correction." They have seen a company build its fortune on tools that deepen their surveillance, and a CEO who calls himself progressive only when the political winds shift. Karp's defenders say his core priorities have not changed. His critics say that is exactly the problem.

The word for someone who flatters whoever holds power, who adapts his values to his audience, and who calls himself a progressive while profiting from systems that harm the most vulnerable is not complicated. It is sycophant. And for Alex Karp the record suggests the label fits far better than the one he is now trying to claim.