"Korea should create something unique rather than trying to emulate Silicon Valley."

This is the advice from Alex Karp, co-founder and CEO of Palantir, to the Korean tech industry. Palantir is a rapidly rising American AI software company in terms of both revenue and stock price. When asked about Korea's AI technology, Karp, who has been leading Palantir for 23 years, brought up K-pop. He stated, "Creating a great tech company is no different from forming a music band," and emphasized, "Korea is the only non-English speaking country that has created a charismatic industry like the U.S. in music, so do not underestimate that uniqueness."

● The Philosopher CEO of Silicon Valley

On the afternoon of the 13th, CEO Karp was met at the Palantir pop-up store in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Various Palantir-branded goods, such as T-shirts, hats, and eco-bags, were displayed. The pop-up store will be open to the public on the 14th and 15th. It is the first time Palantir, primarily a B2B company, has introduced a pop-up store, typically a B2C domain. This indicates significant interest in collaboration with Korean companies and investors. CEO Karp expressed affection by saying, "We love (Korean) individual investors."

Palantir is a company that builds a 'data-driven operating system' to analyze vast amounts of data, derive insights, and solve problems. Its distinctive feature is the 'Ontology' work, which integrates fragmented data into concepts that anyone can understand. This eliminates barriers between departments and allows solutions to be clearly visible, maximizing organizational productivity. Palantir surprised Wall Street by surpassing USD 1 billion (approximately KRW 1.43 trillion) in revenue in the second quarter (April to June) of this year. While it is a key partner of the U.S. Department of Defense and known as an icon of the 'AI defense industry,' its expansion in the private sector is even more rapid recently. CEO Karp emphasized, "There is very high demand for (Palantir) products," and noted, "Revenue is growing like a startup while recording high margins."

CEO Karp is known as the philosopher of Silicon Valley. With a Ph.D. in philosophy, he worked at the Sigmund Freud Institute and co-founded Palantir in 2003 with Peter Thiel, the chairman of the board and a fellow Stanford Law School alumnus.

Palantir's flagship product, established with venture investment from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), is the government platform 'Gotham.' Behind world-shaking events like the operation to kill Osama bin Laden, the Ukrainian military's success against Russian forces, and the detection of large-scale financial fraud was Gotham.

Recently, the growth driver for Palantir is the corporate AI platform 'AIP.' CEO Karp stated, "Palantir's products can make a company very efficient and productive," adding, "They are particularly effective for hardware companies like Korean firms that have never used such software before."

For Korean retail investors, Palantir is akin to an upward myth. This year, Palantir recorded the highest growth rate (135%) within the Nasdaq 100 index, quickly entering the top 20 in U.S. market capitalization. In the global securities market, there are even calls to redefine the existing 'M7 (Magnificent 7)' to 'M10,' including Palantir.

● "Our Only Competitor Is Ourselves"

When a company adopts Palantir's AI platform, it increases efficiency, revealing unnecessary tasks or personnel. As a technology optimist, CEO Karp argues that the real value of labor will actually increase despite concerns that AI may threaten human jobs. He explained, "In places like Korea, where there are highly trained professionals, it won't be an issue. There are endless job opportunities for them, so they won't be laid off."

Palantir is a leader in corporate AI platforms but is being chased by big tech companies. However, when asked about competitors, CEO Karp firmly stated, "We only compete with ourselves and do not actually compete with anyone." He added, "The Asian perspective of improving oneself rather than trying to beat competitors helps us."

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