Tech companies are expecting a wave of scrutiny from Democrats for the industry's ties with the Trump administration when they take over Congress in January. In anticipation, many are hiring former Democratic lawmakers and aides to make their case to the incoming House and Senate majorities.
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Among the latest to make that move is Palantir, which has hired former Sen. Jon Tester, a colorful Montana Democrat who's also an organic farmer.
"My agreement with Palantir is advisory in nature, it is not lobbying," Tester, who lost reelection to the Senate in 2024, told NPR in an interview.
The secretive American software and artificial intelligence company has drawn the ire of Democrats in Congress during President Trump's second term. Palantir — named by billionaire founder Peter Theil after the mythical "seeing stone" from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings — has been accused of abetting mass surveillance on Americans and immigrants.
"Perception is reality in Washington, D.C. and in politics in general," said Tester. "But the fact is, I think Palantir has got a good story to tell, and they need to tell it. And hopefully folks will be receptive to it."
Palantir has long denied claims it aids mass surveillance on the American public — saying it doesn't gather or manipulate data at all, but instead creates tools for government agencies and private companies to organize and optimize their own information. The company has said it is committed to "protecting privacy and upholding liberal democratic values."
Earlier this year, while in the minority, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., along with 30 other Democratic lawmakers demanded answers about Palantir's contracts with the Department of Homeland Security and whether its tools are part of efforts by the federal government to surveil Americans. Palantir denied the accusation and said it is "neither conducting nor enabling mass surveillance of American citizens," but Wyden wasn't fully satisfied with its response, according to his Senate office.
"Senator Wyden has a number of questions about Palantir's work to facilitate the Trump-Vance abuse of government data that he intends to ask again as chairman of the Finance Committee," Wyden's staff wrote in a statement to NPR. "If Palantir is not responsive next year, compulsory processes will be on the table."
It's not a coincidence that tech companies are turning to Democrats to help burnish their reputation, said Aya Ibrahim, a senior fellow at the AI Now Institute and a former State Department official.
"I think at the end of the day, these companies have an inordinate amount of money and they will try and put it wherever they can in order to stave off any real accountability," Ibrahim said.
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During Trump's second term, Palantir's CEO and co-founder Alex Karp — a self-described liberal — has been highly critical of Democrats on issues like immigration and AI.
"I would say to my Democratic friends, also of which I still have, I hope many," Karp said in an interview with Axios in 2025 specifically referencing his support for much more restrictive immigration policies. "You have to grow a spine because a lot of these people actually agree with me in private."
During his 18 years in the Senate, Tester was an outspoken critic of the PATRIOT Act that passed shortly after the 9/11 attacks that expanded the Justice Department's surveillance powers. When asked whether his concerns over government surveillance remain and whether he has the same concerns with his new employer, Tester said Palantir is different and that the company doesn't build "big databases" or trade in private data.
"I wanted to do away with the Patriot Act because it was about privacy," Tester said. "It was about making sure that I am not being watched by anybody, including Big Brother. And by the way, I've talked to many people within Palantir. They believe the same way I do. This is an organization that believes in privacy."
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Last year, over a dozen former Palantir employees criticized the company over its $30 million contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to create a tool that provides "near real-time visibility" into the movement of migrants. The former employees argued the company violated its own code of conduct by working with the Trump administration on such products.
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Valued at over $350 billion, Palantir currently holds $2 billion worth of federal contracts, according to government records. The lion's share are with the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State — but the software firm also works with the Departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services.
Tester said he'll be focused on the government services side of Palantir's work.
The former Montana senator called the midterm election results a blue "tidal wave" after two years of a Congress that gave him "great disappointment."
"It is going to make a difference as far as the policies that are being advocated for," Tester said of the upcoming Congress. "I don't think you're going to see the kind of aggressive tactics that were taken forth by ICE moving forward."
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The tech industry is bracing for a new Democrat-controlled Congress. A company that is likely to face scrutiny has just hired a prominent Democrat. NPR's Luke Garrett reports.
LUKE GARRETT, BYLINE: Palantir is a secretive software firm with $2 billion worth of contracts across the federal government. The majority are with the departments of Defense and Homeland Security. Last year, former employees told NPR the company's products gave DHS near-real-time visibility into the movements of migrants in the U.S. Now some Democrats have vowed to investigate Palantir's work with the Trump administration and whether it's helping the government conduct mass surveillance. Jon Tester, who was a Democratic senator for 18 years, has been hired to advise the company.
JON TESTER: You know, a perception is reality in Washington, D.C. and in politics in general. But the fact is that I think Palantir's got a good story to tell, and they need to tell it. And hopefully folks will be receptive to it.
GARRETT: The company was founded by billionaire investor Peter Thiel, who named Palantir after the mythical seeing stone from "The Lord Of The Rings." Its CEO, Alex Karp, is a self-described liberal who has worked closely with the Trump administration, and he's been highly critical of Democrats on issues like immigration. Here's Karp on "The Axios Show" last year.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE AXIOS SHOW")
ALEX KARP: I would say to my Democratic friends, also of which I still have, I hope, many, there - you have to grow a spine because a lot of these people actually agree with me in private.
GARRETT: Tester tells NPR he'll be focused on Palantir's work streamlining government services for farmers and veterans.
TESTER: And I think that's what it's about. I mean, it's about saving money. It's about making sure government works for people.
GARRETT: As a senator, Tester aggressively opposed the Bush-era PATRIOT Act, which expanded government surveillance. When asked if he had the same surveillance concerns about Palantir, Tester said he didn't.
TESTER: I've talked to many people within Palantir. They believe the same way I do. This is an organization that believes in privacy.
GARRETT: Tester's employment at Palantir comes as other tech companies have also gone on a hiring spree of former Democratic lawmakers and aides in anticipation of changing power in Washington. Senior fellow at the AI Now Institute and former State Department official Aya Ibrahim says that's not a coincidence.
AYA IBRAHIM: I think, at the end of the day, these companies have an inordinate amount of money. And they will try and put it wherever they can in order to stave off any real accountability.
GARRETT: Ibrahim says the midterm results are an opportunity to check the growing power of the tech industry.
Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington.