Palantir Technologies

Palantir Technologies stands as a pioneering American software company specializing in big data analytics and artificial intelligence, serving over 700 organizations globally including government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, Joe Lonsdale, Stephen Cohen, and Nathan Gettings in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the company was conceived to apply advanced data analytics to counter-terrorism while balancing surveillance capabilities with privacy concerns. The founding was directly influenced by Thiel's experience with PayPal's fraud detection systems, which inspired the development of software capable of identifying suspicious patterns across vast datasets without compromising civil liberties.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado since 2020, Palantir operates at the intersection of big data, artificial intelligence, and enterprise software, with a particular focus on defense, intelligence, and commercial sectors. The company's revenue reached $2.87 billion in 2024, representing 29% year-over-year growth, with approximately 66% generated from U.S. customers. Palantir's market capitalization surpassed $200 billion in 2025, making it one of the most valuable software companies globally, though The Economist controversially called it "possibly the most overvalued firm of all time" at a market value exceeding 600 times its 2024 earnings.

The company's core offerings include Palantir Gotham for defense and intelligence operations, Palantir Foundry for commercial enterprise data integration, Palantir Apollo for software deployment, and the recently launched Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) that brings large language models into business operations. In 2024-2025, Palantir secured landmark contracts including a nearly $1 billion Navy software contract and a monumental $10 billion, 10-year U.S. Army Enterprise Service Agreement consolidating 75 previously separate contracts. The company's strategic partnerships with Microsoft Azure and NVIDIA have positioned it as a leader in operational AI, while its innovative AIP Bootcamp program enables customers to develop AI solutions in as little as five days.

Under CEO Alex Karp's leadership since 2005, Palantir has maintained a distinctive mission-driven culture emphasizing the importance of leveraging technology for societal benefit while upholding privacy and civil liberties. The company's stock soared 340% in 2024, making it the best-performing stock in the S&P 500, and it successfully transitioned from the NYSE to Nasdaq in November 2024. Palantir's emphasis on precision AI and its ability to integrate diverse data sources into unified operational systems has made it indispensable to critical national security operations and complex enterprise decision-making processes across automotive, energy, financial services, retail, and telecommunications sectors globally.