Many of Palantir Technologies’ products may be used for covert purposes, but its name is surely no secret. The company has become well known on Wall Street and a favorite of investors.
People familiar with the company have said that it resembles an intelligence agency – collecting and analyzing data about everything. It doesn’t, however, use all that information for its own purposes. Rather, it sells this information to the CIA, FBI, and police departments around the country, as well as to other major clients in and outside of the U.S. These clients want and need data to study and predict the latest economic and market trends, among other purposes. Some take this a step further: they wonder whether it has sources in virtually every major company who study the latest developments at those firms in real time.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that even though Palantir’s press releases and announcements appear in the business press, many details of its activities remain under wraps and hidden from the public.
Secret Stuff and More
Based on the information we know about Palantir (and a lot is available), it’s clear that in many ways it’s a unique company – deeply involved in gathering and analyzing data about trends and developments unfolding around the world, and keeping close tabs on others that have not yet been launched and that the public has never heard about. That’s one of the reasons why many people on Wall Street are intrigued by everything it does – and, in all likelihood, many others that they’ve only heard rumors about.
Palantir’s software falls into four categories: Palantir Gotham, Palantir Foundry, Palantir Apollo, and Palantir AIP. As a group, they provide tools used by intelligence, defense, and counterterrorism analysts in various branches of the U.S. intelligence community.
Initially, after the company was founded in 2003, it had difficulty finding clients – a $2 million deal from the CIA was all that it had, and finding others was very difficult. Since then, however, Palantir has expanded its product line dramatically, and many more clients have joined its list of customers, including some in the U.S. intelligence and defense communities.
But there are also many others that are well-known powerhouses in their varied industries. These include Morgan Stanley, Merck, Airbus, PG&E, and Fiat Chrysler, to mention just a few. In other words, these days there is a growing number of international clients – private companies as well as state and local governments – that want and need such data to compete more effectively and keep their businesses on solid footing.
According to the financial services company Motley Fool, “The company’s flagship product, its AI Intelligence Platform, is revolutionary in its capabilities, and government and business customers are scrambling to adopt this game-changing technology.”
One of their international clients is the Israeli Ministry of Defense. According to AI Overview, it is working with Palantir and together “they have established a strategic partnership to support ongoing (Gaza) war-related missions… Palantir provides Israel with data analytics and AI tools for battlefield intelligence and decision-making, which can include analyzing targets and proposing battle plans.” In January 2024, Palantir agreed to a strategic partnership with the Israeli Defense Ministry in which it would provide technology to aid in “war-related missions.”
Shareholders Speak
These days, many shareholders have become activists. They are very involved in their companies’ activities in issues far beyond corporate matters like dividends and expansion. Corporate policy and how it could affect the environment, social justice issues, and politics are frequently discussed in boardrooms. And so, too, are policies that relate to Israel.
According to AI Overview, BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) is among them. BDS is a global movement that aims to put economic and political pressure on Israel to force it to change or institute certain policies regarding Palestinians. These include refusing to purchase goods and/or services from companies located in or doing business in the West Bank, withdrawing investments from companies profiting from the Israeli so-called “occupation,” or supporting government-imposed restrictions on trade with Israel.
Some of Palantir’s software has drawn BDS’s wrath because they say it is complicit in “war crimes.” AI Overview reports: “Some sources allege that Palantir’s technology is being used in ways that contribute to civilian deaths and potential war crimes in Gaza.”
Palantir denies being involved in any programs that could lead to this. “The company affirms its support for Israeli defense and national security missions in other contexts and refutes assertions of ‘ongoing genocide’ as biased,” AI Overview adds.
Palantir CEO Alex Karp has publicly expressed strong support for Israel and its military campaign (which has prompted some employees to resign). Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir, also has significant ties to Israel and its defense activities. Thiel has publicly defended Israel and deferred to its decisions, stating his “bias is to defer to Israel” and that the IDF is “broadly in the right.”
On a somewhat related matter, the company has also been criticized for helping the U.S. government expand surveillance and gather data on Americans by using AI and facial recognition software.
Palantir’s growth appears to be accelerating. In the first quarter of 2025, revenues grew 39% year-over-year to $884 million, beating Wall Street forecasts. Net income rose to about $214 million from roughly $105.5 million in the comparable year-earlier quarter.
Of more interest to shareholders and potential shareholders is that the company’s shares have generated incredible gains. Shares have approximately doubled since the beginning of 2025 – and have soared nearly eightfold since the beginning of 2024!
According to The Motley Fool, Palantir was the best-performing stock on the S&P 500 in 2024, with a very hefty 341% gain. Moreover, “The stock has retained that title so far this year, gaining 80% during the first six months of 2025,” it added.
For a company that had difficulty getting clients when it started out, Palantir has certainly come a long way. Happy days are here!
(Please note that neither I nor any members of my family own shares in Palantir. Always consult your investment advisor before making any investment decisions.)
Sources: AI Overview; barrons.com; cnbc.com; fool.com; google.com; wikipedia.org; yahoofinance.com; zerohedge.com
Gerald Harris is a financial and feature writer. Gerald can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.