No. 147United States
Alexander Karp
Software firm · Lyman, New Hampshire
Net worth
$18.7B
Today
+$461M+2.53%Past month
−$3.4B−15.49%As of Nov 11, 2026, 1:50 PM EST
Alex Karp is cofounder and CEO of data mining firm Palantir Technologies, which received early backing from CIA investment arm In-Q-Tel. The company does contract work for government agencies like the Department of Defense, the FBI and the Danish National Police. Karp took Palantir public on the New York Stock Exchange in an unusual direct listing process in 2020. He met Palantir cofounder and billionaire Facebook investor Peter Thiel while at Stanford Law School. Karp managed money before starting Palantir in 2004, and occasionally teaches meditation classes at the company.
Net worth over time
−15.49%−$3.4B over the past month
$22B$20B$17B
Oct 12Nov 11
Principal holdings
2 positions| Company | Industry | Share | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
Palantir NASDAQ: PLTR | Technology | 87.4% | $16.3B |
Private and other holdings | Technology | 12.6% | $2.4B |
Also known for
- In addition to his J.D. degree from Stanford, Karp holds a Ph.D. in neoclassical social theory from the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany.
- The rumors that Palantir helped track down bin Laden, and Palantir's failure to reject them, have reportedly led to a rocky relationship with the CIA.