LONDON — UK Defence Secretary John Healey and Palantir CEO Alex Karp signed a £1.5 billion investment partnership in September. The agreement deepens the U.S. data analytics company’s involvement in British public services, building on existing contracts with the National Health Service, the Ministry of Defence, and several police forces worth a combined £600 million.
Palantir, founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel and valued at $375 billion, provides software used by the NHS to analyze patient records. However, its expanding role in the UK has triggered political opposition and public concern. Nearly 250,000 people signed two petitions urging ministers to sever ties with the company. One petition stated: “Our NHS and other public services shouldn’t be cutting deals with a private company that helps armies kill people.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan blocked a £50 million contract between Palantir and the Metropolitan Police, saying Londoners expect public funds to support companies that “share the values of our city.” MP Martin Wrigley raised alarms about a separate contract between the Financial Conduct Authority and Palantir. “My concern is the FCA is doing very significant investigations into sensitive data using a foreign-controlled company that could be advised to pass data across to the US government,” Wrigley said. He added: “In the days of Donald Trump, control means whatever Trump thinks it means.”
Palantir maintains its software processes data only as directed by customers and that acting otherwise would be illegal. CEO Alex Karp has defended the company’s mission, declaring in an earnings call that Palantir is the first company to be “completely anti-woke.” Karp also said: “The woke left and the woke right wake up every day figuring out how they can hurt Palantir, and if they get into power, they’ll hurt Palantir.”