The software company Palantir, which is known for providing “data integration and analytics platforms” to government agencies, militaries and corporations, announced Tuesday that it’s moving its headquarters from Denver, Colorado to Miami, Florida. (In 2020, it moved its HQ from Palo Alto, California — in the heart of Silicon Valley — to Denver.)
MAGA-aligned former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R), who has long advocated for tech companies to move to Florida, called the move a “watershed moment for Miami,” and added, “This is the tipping point!”
This is the tipping point!!!! What a watershed moment for Miami… https://t.co/KLg9cWIYEt
— Francis X. Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) February 17, 2026
Note: In November in Miami, then-Mayor Suarez presented President Donald Trump with a golden key to the city after Trump announced his plan to host the 2026 G20 Summit at the Trump National Doral Miami golf resort.
But not all Sunshine State Republicans are welcoming Palantir with open arms.
GOP candidate James Fishback, who is running in Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial election to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, responded to Palantir on social media. Fishback wrote: “As Governor, I will ban you from all government contracts. You are a threat to our civil liberties.”
As Governor, I will ban you from all government contracts. You are a threat to our civil liberties. https://t.co/jApQ9yEh8m
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) February 17, 2026
In an official statement concerning Palantir, Fishback wrote: “There is no denying that Palantir has been an asset to the U.S. military as our service members bravely protect us overseas. But, digital weapons deployed on foreign battlefields should never be aimed at American citizens.”
Fishback warned that a “surveillance state, whether run by government or outsourced to a private company, violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”
Note: Palantir was co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, an early supporter of President Trump, and Alex Karp, the CEO of Palantir, which has large contracts with the federal government including a $10 billion contract with the Defense Department.
In a January 2025 interview, Karp acknowledged that “technology is not inherently good” and that its threat potential — in the wrong hands — represented a serious security risk to the U.S.
Earlier this month, as Palantir faced criticism as its surveillance tech was reportedly deployed to capture data of American citizens during the ICE-driven civil unrest in Minneapolis, Karp said the company had safeguards in place to prevent government overreach.
While Karp promotes those safeguards, Fishback obviously doesn’t trust them. The crux of the dispute can be found in a statement made by author Michael Steinberger, whose book about Karp and Palantir, The Philosopher in the Valley, was published late last year.
Steinberger told Morning Edition in an interview that “it’s important to recognize that it’s Palantir’s clients, not Palantir, that controls how Palantir’s technology is used. In one sense, you can say it’s really, you know, do you trust the people using Palantir to use it responsibly? But that also kind of absolves Palantir of any responsibility. And then certainly, the question at this particular moment is, you know, are there red lines for Karp and Palantir?”