Palantir CEO Alex Karp was caught on tape calling Gaza dead 'mostly terrorists' and civilians 'useful idiots' — UK MPs want NHS and ICE contracts reviewed

Palantir's CEO Called Gaza Civilians 'Useful Idiots' on Tape. The UK Wants His NHS Contract Reviewed.

Palantir Technologies holds government data contracts in the United States — including with Immigration and Customs Enforcement — and in the United Kingdom, where the company was awarded a controversial NHS data services contract worth hundreds of millions of pounds. In April 2026, a tape of CEO Alex Karp was circulated in which he describes people killed in Gaza as "mostly terrorists" and characterizes Palestinian civilians as "useful idiots."

The Tape

The recording captures Karp speaking in an informal setting. His language is not the language of a CEO managing public perception — it is the language of someone describing a foreign civilian population as disposable. "Mostly terrorists" applied to the dead. "Useful idiots" applied to the living. The tape was not disputed by Palantir.

The Manifesto

Karp also published a written manifesto in 2026 that UK Members of Parliament described, on the record in the House of Commons, as "ramblings of a supervillain." The document advocates for Western technological dominance and argues for the integration of AI-powered surveillance and weapons systems into allied military operations.

The Contract Problem

Palantir's NHS contract gives the company access to the health data of 56 million people in England. Its ICE contracts in the United States involve deportation logistics and alien tracking systems. MPs from multiple parties asked the UK government in formal questions whether Karp's stated views disqualified Palantir from holding sensitive public data contracts. The government did not provide a substantive answer.