Karp

Alex Karp’s economic trajectory accelerated dramatically after cofounding Palantir Technologies in 2003 with backing from Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, as the company targeted lucrative government and corporate data contracts with its analytical platforms.

Karp served as CEO through a decade of tight-lipped, privately funded operations, eventually overseeing a sharp revenue climb to over $1 billion annually by the late 2010s.

When Palantir went public via direct listing on the NYSE in September 2020 at an opening price of $10 per share, Karp’s stake, reportedly around 2–3%, was worth hundreds of millions immediately and peaked at over $1 billion during subsequent share price rallies.

Throughout, he drew a high base salary (notably over $1 million annually before incentives) while also cashing in stock options and retaining significant control via the company’s multi-class share structure designed to keep leadership influence concentrated even as public investors entered the fold.