Thiel Co-Founds Palantir Technologies for Government Data Work

Peter Thiel co-founded Palantir Technologies in May 2003 with Alex Karp, Joe Lonsdale, Stephen Cohen, and Nathan Gettings, building data-integration software pitched to U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Thiel provided initial funding and recruited Stanford Law classmate Alex Karp as CEO in 2004. In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture arm, became an early investor, locking Palantir into federal contracting.