ALEX KARP
Alex Karp is the cofounder and CEO of Palantir Technologies. Alexander Caedmon Karp (born October 2, 1967) is an American billionaire businessman, and the co-founder and CEO of the software firm Palantir Technologies. As of February 4, 2025, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$9.24 billion, ranking him 299th on their list of the world’s billionaires.
Alexander Caedmon Karp
CEO and Cofounder of Palantir Technologies
New York City, NY
Leah Jaynes Karp (Mother)
BACKGROUND
High school yearbook photo
Alexander Caedmon Karp was born on October 2, 1967, in New York City, the son of Robert Karp, a Jewish clinical pediatrician, and Leah Jaynes Karp, an African American artist. He was raised in Philadelphia and graduated from Central High School in 1985. He has said he struggled with dyslexia from an early age. Alexander Caedmon Karp was born on October 2, 1967, in New York City, the son of Robert Karp, a Jewish clinical pediatrician, and Leah Jaynes Karp, an African American artist. He was raised in Philadelphia and graduated from Central High School in 1985. He has said he struggled with dyslexia from an early age.Alexander Caedmon Karp was born on October 2, 1967, in New York City, the son of Robert Karp, a Jewish clinical pediatrician, and Leah Jaynes Karp, an African American artist. He was raised in Philadelphia and graduated from Central High School in 1985. He has said he struggled with dyslexia from an early age.
- 1989 | Haverford College | BA Philosophy
- 1992 | Stanford University | Juris Doctor
- 2002 | Goethe University | PhD Neoclassical Social Theory
CAREER
Karp started his career as a research associate at the Sigmund Freud Institute in Frankfurt.
Karp has said he invested in startups and stocks after receiving an inheritance from his grandfather. His success led him to found London-based money management firm Caedmon Group to manage the money of high-net-worth individuals who were interested in investing with him.
In 2004, along with Peter Thiel (who had been a classmate at Stanford) and others, he co-founded Palantir Technologies as CEO. The New York Times ranked Karp the highest-paid CEO of a publicly traded company in 2020, the year the company went public, with compensation worth $1.1 billion.