Palantir CEO says his outspoken pro-Israel views have caused employees to leave company

Palantir CEO Alex Karp said some staffers at his software company have exited due to his public support for Israel. And he expects to see more walk out the door.

“We’ve lost employees. I’m sure we’ll lose employees,” Karp said in an interview with CNBC’s “Money Movers” on Wednesday. “If you have a position that does not cost you ever to lose an employee, it’s not a position.”

Karp was responding to a question from anchor Sara Eisen about personnel turnover at the company resulting from its controversial stances.

Palantir, known for its government contract work in defense and intelligence, has provided its technology to support the Ukrainian and Israeli militaries in their respective wars. Israel has vowed to defeat Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s rampage on Oct. 7 in southern Israel that killed nearly 1,200 people. Israel’s bombardment since then has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians.

Karp said on Palantir’s earnings call last month he was “exceedingly proud that after Oct. 7, within weeks, we are on the ground and we are involved in operationally crucial operations in Israel.”

Palantir held its first board meeting of the year in Tel Aviv in January, after which the company agreed to a “strategic partnership” with the Israeli Ministry of Defense to supply the country with technology for its military efforts. In November, Karp asserted the company’s support of the U.S. government and Israel, declaring on an earnings call that “Palantir only supplies its products to Western allies.”

In Wednesday’s interview, Karp reaffirmed his pro-Israel views. Eisen referenced the company’s decision in October to take out a full-page ad in The New York Times, stating it “stands with Israel.”