A woman walking past the logo of U.S. big data analytics software company Palantir Technologies during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Fabrice Coffrini | AFP | Getty Images
Six people were taken into custody by police on Thursday as a group blocked the entrance to the New York office of Palantir to protest the tech company’s work for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, the Israeli military and other efforts.
More than 30 people participated in the protest, according to Planet Over Profit, the group that organized the demonstration in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.
The New York Police Department had no immediate comment when asked if the six detained protestors were charged.
Planet Over Profit said all six were released later in the morning.
Planet Over Profit, in a statement, said it objected to Palantir’s “turbocharging ICE deportations, complicity in the genocide of Palestinians and plans to massively expand surveillance of every U.S. resident.”
“Palantir’s tech programs are being used to deport our neighbors, kill civilians in Gaza, enhance oil extraction, and deny health insurance claims,” the group told CNBC.
“If your company kills for profit, we will disrupt you,” a spokesperson added.
Palantir did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Palantir was co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel and its current CEO Alex Karp, who donated $1 million to President Donald Trump’s inauguration fund. The firm has garnered attention for its defense and software contracts with the government.
In April, ICE paid the company $30 million to provide the agency with “visibility” on people self-deporting, according to federal documents.
Karp told CNBC in March 2024 that some Palantir employees had left the company because of his public support for Israel, and that he expected more would leave for the same reason.
During an earnings call a month earlier, Karp said he was “exceedingly proud” that Palantir was “on the ground” in Israel on the heels of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. He also said Palantir was “involved in operationally crucial operations in Israel.”
Shares of the company have rallied 500% over the past year and hit a new high for the year to date on Wednesday morning.
