Alex Karp is CEO of the controversial US tech surveillance company Palantir.Image: keystone
The CEO of the controversial US tech company Palantir is having a large property built in Liechtenstein with a view of the St.Gallen Rhine Valley. This raises questions not only in the principality.
June 14, 2026, 09:09June 14, 2026, 9:45 a.m
It has been clear for some time that Palantir boss Alex Karp is settling in Liechtenstein. The controversial tech manager already spends some of his time in the principality, which borders the cantons of St.Gallen and Graubünden. Now the prominent newcomer is causing a stir in the small state, where only 40,000 people live: in the municipality of Schaan, excavators and other construction machinery have arrived on a 6,000 square meter site.
The Liechtenstein Land Registry confirmed to the Sunday newspaperthat Alex Karp is the owner of the property on which the hermetically sealed construction site is located. Karp is therefore registered in the municipality of Gamprin-Bendern, which is ten minutes away from the property in Schaan.
The municipality of Schaan in Liechtenstein.
A few years ago, Karp first considered moving to Switzerland before deciding on Liechtenstein. Presumably because of Lex Koller, which demands that foreign land buyers move their center of life to Switzerland. In Liechtenstein there seemed to be fewer hurdles for Karp.
However, not all residents are comfortable with the extremely wealthy and controversial newcomer. But according to the newspaper, hardly anyone is willing to speak publicly about the issue. However, MP Sandra Fausch from the Liechtenstein Free List says:
“I see it very critically that a person like Alex Karp is welcomed here with open arms.”
The fact that Karp can settle in Liechtenstein raises several questions. Liechtenstein is very restrictive with settlement permits for foreigners, including Swiss. Politician Fausch has therefore made a request to the Liechtenstein government, where the prince enjoys great influence. She wanted to know under what conditions Karp lives in Liechtenstein and how the country views cooperation with his company Palantir. The government currently denies this.
Karp’s company Palantir is controversial because it sells surveillance technology and software to armies. In the context of the AI age, there are fears that governments could misuse Palantir’s technology to the detriment of citizens. In addition, Karp, and especially his Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, have repeatedly expressed views that clearly contradict a free, democratic social order. (con)