In an interview with Handelsblatt conducted in New York, Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp unleashed a blistering assessment of Germany, in particular its flailing technology and destructive migration policies.
He reserved his harshest words for its migration policies, telling the magazine on December 13 Berlin’s open-border stance was the country’s “dumbest decision ever made in the post-war period”.
Karp lamented Germany’s slide into what he called technological irrelevance and economic self-sabotage.
“No one talks about Germany anymore, neither in the Middle East nor in Asia nor in America. For 100 years, the world admired German technology but now there is nothing left of that. The country is falling behind technologically,” he said.
Karp, who studied in Frankfurt and often invokes German thinkers as his political lodestars, positioned himself politically as a centrist.
He framed Palantir – a data analytics firm born from post-9/11 intelligence needs – ironically as “the most important German company in the world”.
But he added: “The German tech scene is one of the worst in the world. Every penny I spend in Germany slows the growth of the overall business.”
Karp lamented Germany’s “technological self-blockade” and a “braking culture” that stifles innovation at every turn.
Palantir’s CEO tied these economic woes to existential stakes, warning that “without technology, there is no security, and without security, no democracy”.
He accused German media and regulators of hypocrisy, noting Palantir’s pivotal role in Ukraine’s defence against Russia – “the backbone of its defence is Palantir” – yet facing accusations of unconstitutionality at home.
“Is anyone thanking us for that? … Instead, we are criticised for acting unconstitutionally, which is complete nonsense.
“Can Germany afford to take on Peter Thiel and me in court?,” he added – a reference to his co-founder and the firm’s controversial ties to US defence contracts.
He said Germany is behaving “idiotically and strategically wrong”.
Expanding on politics, he lambasted his country’s post-2015 open-door policy, arguing it has eroded social cohesion and human rights in urban enclaves.
“In the Middle East, there are more human rights than in some Berlin neighbourhoods,” he claimed, attributing rising anti-Semitism not to native Germans but to unchecked inflows from Muslim-majority countries.
“Anti-Semitism within the German elite is zero,” he stated.
His solution is to keep “borders closed”.
“And to all those living here without a passport who have any connection to crime, even remotely, I’d say: ‘Here’s the plane ticket. You have four weeks to leave the country; after that, it won’t be nice for you.'”
Regarding German migration policies, Karp said that the population wants a policy “that makes them feel good – and in which something bad will inevitably happen”.
Karp juxtaposed what he said were Germany’s alarming security vulnerabilities with its ongoing debates over data privacy.
“Germany underestimates the security risks, I’m telling you, a terrorist attack can happen any day. You even have to watch out for the Christmas markets,” he said.
Yet, he noted, the country remains embroiled in arguments over Palantir and data protection. “It’s surreal,” he added.
He urged Germans to embrace a positive view on identity, saying: “It’s perfectly fine to be German, it has nothing to do with Nazism. Germany should get used to a healthy patriotism.”
Palantir is working with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement under US President Donald Trump, which Karp has hailed as restoring “deterrent capacity” of the US. European security services are also interested in the technology for their own work, Karp said.
Data protectionists have warned that Europe may become too dependent on the US for security, while ex-Palantir employees have alleged an erosion of civil rights.
The German Police Officers’ Union said it suspected a recent incident at the German-Polish border may have been coordinated by a German pro-asylum NGO. https://t.co/J0wAeacUS4
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) June 6, 2025
