In a new book about Palantir and its CEO Alex Karp, journalist Michael Steinberger chronicles how a self-described leftist who said his "biggest fear is fascism" became one of the tech leaders powering President Trump's agenda.
Why it matters: Karp is among a host of tech billionaires who were once harsh critics of Trump, but now fully embrace him.
- The company has been at the center of issues dominating Trump's presidency, including DOGE, ICE deportations, Gaza, Iran and AI.
Behind the scenes: In "The Philosopher in the Valley," shared first with Axios, Steinberger offers extraordinary access to the CEO of one of the most powerful data software companies.
- He interviewed Karp during his workouts, met him in cities across the country and abroad, and picked the brains of the people who surround him.
- Steinberger reports for the first time that Palantir co-founder and Karp's friend Peter Thiel, realizing he had become a public relations liability for the company, offered to step down from the board during Trump's first presidency.
- Thiel has since found his way back to Trump after refusing to support his 2020 campaign.
"I don't want to have endless conversations about Trump because the other side is totally irresponsible," Karp says in the book.
- "They won't do anything on immigration or Iran. They talk all the time about racism but won't talk about antisemitism," Karp, who is biracial and Jewish, told Steinberger.
- "I'm sick and tired of left-wing people fostering right-wing populist movements because they won't be adults about these issues."
- Steinberger wrote that Karp welcomed liberal scorn: "Being unpopular pays the bills," Karp told him.
Steinberger writes that Karp still claimed to be a progressive when they first met in 2019, with Karp expressing seemingly liberal opinions on issues like immigration.
- The Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, Steinberger writes, cemented Karp's "political metamorphosis" and the anti-Israel protests that followed "led him to decisively break with the Democrats."
- Karp remained publicly supportive of the Israeli government, but privately expressed fury — mostly at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — over the security lapses that led to Oct. 7.
What's next: The book will be published on Nov. 4.
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