U.S. Vice President JD Vance is coming under political attack over a personal conflict of interest with the big tech company Palantir. Vice President Vance has been categorized as a "pro-Palantir" figure due to his ties to Peter Thiel, Palantir's co-founder. Recently, however, concerns have been raised inside the Trump administration about Palantir's growing influence, and observers say this is becoming a political burden for Vance.
CNN reported on the 24th that the controversy flared during a conversation Vance had with Roger Stone, a Republican political strategist close to President Trump. The dispute began when Stone said on a radio show that Palantir's data analysis tools "could become a vast surveillance system." Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon likened Palantir to an "SF villain," and comedian Joe Rogan called the company "a creepy presence" on his show.
Palantir is a data analysis company that began 20 years ago with funding from U.S. intelligence agencies and now maintains multibillion-dollar contracts with the U.S. government, military, and police. Under the Trump administration, related contracts expanded further, and in particular, the U.S. Army signed a long-term deal worth up to $10 billion (about 14 trillion won). Palantir's stock nearly tripled after Trump took office, a move tied to this backdrop.
The issue is that Palantir's software processes vast amounts of data based on artificial intelligence (AI), facial recognition, and predictive algorithms. Trump's executive order mandating data sharing among government departments also raised suspicions that it was effectively "a measure empowering Palantir." As a result, both the left and the right are wary of the potential for expanded government surveillance.
The fallout from concerns about Palantir has directly affected Vice President Vance. Vance presents himself as a critic of big tech, but in reality has enjoyed support from Silicon Valley investors. He began his career at Peter Thiel's venture capital firm and received $15 million (about 21 billion won) from Thiel in his 2022 Senate race. This background has fueled repeated suspicions that "Vance is overly tilted toward Palantir."
As criticism of Palantir intensified, Vance pushed back at an event at the University of Mississippi, saying the internet meme that "Palantir and I are a good match" was exaggerated. He drew a line, saying, "Palantir is a private company, and it does things that are helpful and things we don't like." He also said, "Surveillance is actually a more serious problem in the private sector," adding, "It's corporations, not the government, that track every action of consumers."
Palantir also flatly denied the controversy. The company said, "We are not a surveillance company and we do not sell personal information." Chief Executive Officer Alex Karp argued in a media interview that "Palantir is a tool that makes America strong and prevents war."
But unrest within the Republican Party is not subsiding easily. Hardline conservative influencer Laura Loomer claimed Palantir is "trying to infiltrate the next administration." Some conservatives are also raising louder concerns that Trump's AI policy and his cooperative stance with big tech "clash with the original intent of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement."
The suspicions surrounding Palantir are expected to remain a political burden for Vice President Vance. He emphasized, "I understand the concern that AI could drift into mass surveillance, but the key issue is electing the right people to properly control the technology." However, he did not offer specific rebuttals to the criticism related to Palantir.