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For Palantir\u2019s Democrat-supporting CEO, the fact that cofounder and Chairman Peter Thiel enthusiastically backed Donald Trump<\/a> made things harder for the company.<\/p>\n CEO Alex Karp cofounded Palantir Technologies<\/a>, the data analytics firm known for its defense contracts and ties to the CIA<\/a>, with Thiel and three others in 2003, and since then has helped grow it into a $72 billion behemoth. But although Karp and Thiel are close friends and share many similar views, including on the supposed superiority of the West<\/a>, they differ on politics.<\/p>\n Karp, who grew up in a leftist family with activist parents, describes himself as \u201cprogressive but not woke,\u201d he told the New York Times<\/em><\/a>. He previously backed and donated to President Joe Biden and now supports Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Meanwhile, Thiel is one of Trump\u2019s biggest supporters in Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n Thiel\u2019s public support of Republicans like Ron Paul, and Ted Cruz, and most recently, Trump<\/a>, has made him a favorite Democratic target for years, and that criticism has often extended to Palantir as well. Karp said Thiel\u2019s politics have at times complicated things in terms of government contracts, especially after he threw his support behind Trump in 2016.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t enjoy it,\u201d he said of Thiel\u2019s public support of Trump. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of reasons I cut Biden a check. I do not enjoy being protested every day. It was completely ludicrous and ridiculous. It was actually the opposite. Because Peter had supported Mr. Trump, it was actually harder to get things done.\u201d<\/p>\n Palantir did not immediately respond to Fortune<\/em>\u2018s request for comment.<\/p>\n With Trump in power, Palantir\u2019s government contracts roiled the company\u2019s employees, who split sharply on issues like the company\u2019s work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement,<\/a> the Washington Post reported at the time. In 2017, about 50 people gathered<\/a> in front of Thiel\u2019s home in San Francisco to protest the ICE contract. This past May, pro-Palestine protesters trapped<\/a> Thiel in a building while he was visiting the U.K.\u2019s Cambridge Union Society.<\/p>\n Thiel, who is also a cofounder of PayPal<\/a> and an early Facebook<\/a> investor, gave Trump $1.25 million in 2016, the Times<\/em> reported<\/a> at the time. After Trump won the election, Thiel joined Trump\u2019s White House transition team and later organized a meeting of some of the world\u2019s most influential tech CEOs<\/a> at Trump Tower.<\/p>\n Although Palantir\u2019s government contracts exploded under Trump<\/a>, boosted by an $800 million army contract it won in 2019, Karp wasn\u2019t a fan of Thiel\u2019s support of Trump, and he told him as much, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cPeter and I talk about everything,\u201d Karp told the Times<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s like, yes, I definitely informed Peter, \u2018This is not making our life easier.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n While Karp didn\u2019t elaborate on how Thiel responded to the criticism, he said that Palantir has been less criticized lately.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s a different perception of us now a little bit. A lot of that was tied to Trump, ICE work,\u201d he said. \u201cIt built up and we were definitely outsiders. We\u2019re still outsiders, but I feel less resistance for sure. And people have a better idea of what we do, maybe. Defense tech is a big part of Silicon Valley now.\u201d<\/p>\n Late last year Thiel rejected Trump\u2019s plea to donate $10 million<\/a> to his campaign, and has since said he won\u2019t donate any presidential candidates (he said he\u2019ll still vote for Trump<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n Although Silicon Valley figures usually lean toward supporting Democrats, an increasing number have bucked the trend and backed Trump<\/a> over the past few months.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite its usual leftward tilt, Karp said that Silicon Valley\u2019s lavishness contributed in part to Trump\u2019s rise.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe you would have a Trump phenomenon without the excesses of Silicon Valley,\u201d Karp told the Times<\/em>. \u201cVery, very wealthy people who support policies where they don\u2019t have to absorb the cost at all. Just also the general feeling that these people are not tethered to our society, and simultaneously are becoming billionaires.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n