Palantir CEO Calls for Tech Patriotism, Warns of AI Warfare

Palantir CEO Alex Karp warns of “coming swarms of autonomous robots” and urges Silicon Valley to support U.S. defense capabilities. In his book, “The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West,” Karp argues that America risks losing its military edge to geopolitical rivals who better harness commercial technology.

He calls for the “engineering elite of Silicon Valley” to work with the government on national defense. The message comes as Palantir’s stock has surged more than 1,800% since early 2023, pushing its market value above $292 billion — exceeding traditional defense contractors Lockheed Martin and RTX combined. The company has expanded its military AI work since 2018, when it took over a Pentagon contract after Google employees protested their company’s defense work.