Palantir CEO Alex Karp acquires large forest area in Sweden

Alex Karp, the CEO of the American technology company Palantir, has purchased a 15,000-hectare area of forest and fells in the Berg municipality of Jämtland, Sweden. The transaction, valued at approximately 240 million kronor, was conducted through Karp’s newly established Swedish company, Cladonia Skog AB, from the forestry firm SCA.

The acquisition has sparked significant local concern and social media backlash. Residents and local hunters have expressed anxiety regarding the loss of hunting rights and rumors that the land might be used to construct a data center. While the county government and the Strategic Products Inspection Agency (ISP) have approved the deal, noting it should not weaken local land use, a protest list has been initiated in response to the purchase.

Karp has stated that forestry will continue in the region and that his company intends to arrange hunting rights for locals, though specific details remain unconfirmed. The purchase of the land, which is comparable in size to the municipality of Malmö, comes amid ongoing international scrutiny of Palantir regarding its surveillance technologies.