Public support for Israel from the CEO of Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR has led to employees leaving the company and more are expected to leave.
What happened: Alex KarpThe software company’s CEO expressed his support for Israel in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday.
We have lost employees. I’m sure we will lose employees,” Karp said in response to questions about staff turnover due to the company’s controversial positions.
“If you have a position that never costs you to lose an employee, that’s not a position.”
Palantir, known for its defense and intelligence contracts for governments, has provided technology to support both the Ukrainian and Israeli militaries in their respective wars.
Karp expressed pride in Palantir’s earnings call last month, saying the company was involved in “operationally crucial operations in Israel” just weeks after the Oct. 7 rampage by Hamas, a group Palestinian militant, in southern Israel.
In November, Karp affirmed the company’s support for the US government and Israel, declaring that “Palantir supplies its products only to Western allies.”
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Because matter: Palantir has been actively involved in providing technological support to the Israeli military. In January, the company entered into a strategic partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defense to provide technology for its military efforts.
However, the company’s support for Israel has also sparked controversy. In December 2023, Palantir’s UK office was blocked by Healthcare Workers for Palestine activists due to the company’s support for Israel.
Last year, Karp’s colleague and co-founder of Palantir, Joe Lonsdalestressed the need to keep the “good guys armed and ahead” in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Despite the controversy, Palantir shares performed well. The stock closed at $25.00 on Wednesday, marking a 1.21% increase from the previous day’s close, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
Meanwhile, last week, Palantir secured a $178.4 million contract with the US Army to develop 10 AI-based ground stations for a project called Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN) .
Photo by Cory Doctorow via Flickr
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This content was partially produced with help from Benzinga Neuro and has been reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.