Palantir looking vulnerable as investors short the stock
Palantir's stock is sliding and its reputation is souring, which is bad for the company and its investors but welcome news to its many critics.
- Palantir stock has lost about a quarter of its value this year as investors bet against it, seeing it as overvalued.
- New AI rivals like Anthropic and OpenAI are poaching its engineers and competing for its business.
- The company leans heavily on the US government, which has handed it $10 billion in defense contracts.
- Palantir has become toxic in politics and abroad, with Democrats returning its money and doors closing in London, Paris, and Zurich.
- Its mass surveillance work, ties to law enforcement and the CIA, and role in Gaza have fueled public backlash, made worse by CEO Alex Karp's inflammatory public comments.
Outlook: Palantir is bracing for possible congressional hearings if Democrats win the House, but real oversight is unlikely to follow.