The China hawk will lead the defense operation of Palantir, which he praised as ‘a rare, leading tech company that is unapologetic in its defense of the West.’
Former Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) has joined Palantir Technologies Inc., the U.S. defense contractor
announced on Aug. 22. This confirms a rumor about the union that has been circulating for months.
The China hawk, who championed legislation that could
force TikTok’s China-based owner, Bytedance, to sell the app or face a U.S. ban, will join Palantir as its head of defense, replacing Doug Philippone, who will stay on as an adviser.
Gallagher’s hiring came as Palantir, a data-analyzing software company founded after 9/11 to work with U.S. intelligence agencies, boasted the
strongest quarter in U.S. government contracts since 2022 and a 21 percent year-on-year jump in its international government revenue in the second quarter this year.
Welcoming Gallagher on Aug. 22 in a statement posted on social media platforms, Palantir said it’s “thrilled” about its new defense lead as the company enters “the next stage of growth as a software prime.”
The company said the former congressman’s expertise in national security and technology, informed by his service as a Marine Corps officer, “will advance Palantir’s work to strengthen the defense tech ecosystem and ensure U.S. and allied interests.”
“Mike’s unique talents have helped to shape U.S. policy towards our adversaries,” Alex Karp, Palantir’s CEO, said in the statement. “I am delighted he is joining Palantir, and am certain he will play an invaluable role for Palantir and our mission partners.”
The former congressman also praised his new employer.
“In Palantir, you have a rare, leading tech company that is unapologetic in its defense of the West,” Gallagher said in the statement.
Palantir, co-founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel, Karp, and others, initially took only government contracts before branching out to work with corporations.
The company’s hawkish stance on the Chinese communist regime fits the view of Gallagher, who chaired the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) before announcing that he would
retire early from Congress in April.
One of Gallagher’s last acts in Congress was championing the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. This act commanded bipartisan support and was
signed into law in April despite heavy lobbying by TikTok, ByteDance, and the Chinese embassy.
Under the legislation, TikTok will be banned in the United States by January 2025 unless ByteDance sells it to a non-Chinese company.
The Chinese Communist Party’s
effective control over Beijing-based ByteDance has long concerned security experts, who worry about the CCP’s ability to censor, influence, and collect data with TikTok.
ByteDance challenged the new law, and a federal court ruled that it is not unconstitutional because TikTok and ByteDance are “
foreign organizations operating abroad” that do not enjoy First Amendment protections.
ByteDance appealed, and oral arguments in the appeals court are scheduled for Sept. 16.Speaking with CNBC about his new position on Aug. 22, Gallagher said his experience on the select committee on CCP told him “the true divide on national security is not really between Republicans and Democrats, but rather between Wall Street-slash-corporate America and normal America.”
“Too often corporate America was simply unwilling to defend American values from Chinese Communist party aggression and transnational repression,” Gallagher said.
The Epoch Times could not reach Gallagher for comment.
