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Palantir CEO said cofounder Peter Thiel's support of Trump made it hard to get things done
By Kelsey Vlamis,
2 days ago
Alex Karp and Peter Thiel cofounded Palantir — and have different politics.
Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images; John Lamparski/Getty Images
Palantir CEO Alex Karp said his cofounder Peter Thiel's public embrace of Donald Trump wasn't easy.
Karp supported Joe Biden in 2020 and is now backing Kamala Harris.
Thiel has not endorsed a 2024 presidential candidate but supports Trump's running mate, JD Vance.
Peter Thiel 's public embrace of Donald Trump caused some friction at Palantir , the data-analytics and software company he cofounded and chairs.
That's according to Palantir CEO Alex Karp , who cofounded the company alongside Thiel. In an interview with The New York Times published Saturday, Karp, who supported and donated to Joe Biden in 2020, addressed Thiel's embrace of Trump.
When asked whether Thiel's support of Trump made life harder, or if it made getting government contracts easier, Karp told the outlet, "I didn't enjoy it."
"There's a lot of reasons I cut Biden a check," he added. "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."
Palantir did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
After supporting Trump in 2016, Thiel became one of his major donors that election cycle and eventually joined Trump's presidential transition team. The company's ties to the Trump White House and some of its work with the US government fueled scrutiny and protests .
Government contracts awarded to Palantir include work with the military, US Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
When the Times asked Karp whether he and Thiel discussed how he felt about the situation, the CEO said, "Peter and I talk about everything."
"It's like, yes, I definitely informed Peter, 'This is not making our life easier,'" he added.
Karp is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
Thiel has not endorsed Trump this time around and has said he does not plan to donate to any candidates. However, the billionaire told the Times last month he was coming around to the Trump campaign after the former president announced Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.
Thiel is even believed to be partially responsible for Trump tapping Vance , a former venture capitalist who worked for Thiel's investment firm Mithril Capital.
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