Palantir CEO Alex Karp claims the tech giant is first anti-woke company, advocates meritocracy - here's what it means

Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp said that the defence and data giant is “the first company to be completely anti-woke” during an earnings call on Monday.

He praised those working at Palantir as advocates for free speech and described them as "fighting for the right side of what should work in this country, meritocracy, lethal technology." He explained that these principles have contributed to the company's success in producing software for businesses and the US government, and enabled it to deliver venture-quality results to ordinary Americans, according to a report by Business Insider.

The defence company posted nearly $1.2 billion in revenue for the September quarter, a 63% jump in the same period the previous year, the company said in a statement on Monday, citing “accelerating and otherworldly growth.”

Palantir's revenue in the US more than doubled last year, increasing by 121% to $397 million, while the US government's revenue grew 52% to $486 million.

Speaking on the company results, Karp said, “These are arguably the best results that any software company has ever delivered.”

What is anti-wokeness?

Anti-woke is a term typically used to describe a political and ideological opposition to the so-called "woke" concepts, which are considered to be progressive social and political thinking centred on addressing social injustice, promoting diversity, and fostering inclusion.

The case of anti-wokeness

Since last year, Silicon Valley has increasingly supported anti-wokeness and US President Donald Trump. Tech leaders, including OpenAI's Sam Altman and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, praised the president at a White House dinner this fall.

“We power ICE,” Karp said, adding, “We've supported Israel. Okay, these are very controversial. I don't know why this is all controversial, but many people find that controversial.”

Karp said he makes “sure Palantir stays as tribal and cultish and unique as it was 20 years ago” by choosing “the right people.”

Earlier, Lisa Gordon, the company's communications chief and a self-identified Democrat, described Palantir's political move toward Trump as "concerning" during an interview at a summit hosted by tech news outlet The Information in late October.

Karp didn't hold back during Monday's call, calling for increased border scrutiny and a renewed focus on so-called "average poor" Americans.

Notably, Karp backed Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential campaign. In his shareholder letter, he called for “return to a shared national experience” and an “embrace of a common identity.”