Palantir's Alex Karp Hires Jon Tester as Democrats' 2026 Midterm Gains Push Him Left
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Nov 11
Palantir's Alex Karp Hires Jon Tester as Democrats' 2026 Midterm Gains Push Him Left
2 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Nov 11
Summary
Jon Tester has joined Palantir as an adviser as CEO Alex Karp publicly warms to Democrats, saying the party corrected enough in 2026 to win back his support for 2028.
Karp, whose company prospered under Trump 2.0 with billions in federal contracts, said Republican losses were a referendum on economic justice and cast his own politics as balanced rather than MAGA-aligned.
He also said Trump went too far on immigration enforcement, even though Palantir's "Immigration OS" supported that effort under a $30 million contract.
Tester was brought in as Palantir braces for possible congressional investigations, and Karp stayed silent on embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth while House Republicans later blocked impeachment 211-204.
The shift tracks a broader post-midterm mood: a POLITICO poll found 62% of Americans saw Trump as a loser, while 58% said progressive Democrats were winners.