Is Palantir's Alex Karp the Next Rock Star CEO?

 Steve Jobs was an undisputed rock star. Elon Musk is a rock star.

Is Alex Karp of Palantir Technologies PLTR the next rock star CEO?

This past weekend, on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the slightly disheveled Karp was a whirlwind of enthusiasm. His interview was both mesmerizing and contradictory. The co-founder and CEO of Palantir put on a brilliant performance, even as he struggled to coherently explain what it is his company actually does.

No matter. This was Karp’s moment on the big stage. Like Jimi Hendrix at Monterey, or Bob Dylan at Newport, Karp has just entered the general public’s consciousness. 

The audience enthusiastically embraced Karp, as he brilliantly connected his high-tech products to their everyday emotional needs. I stumbled across his appearance by accident, and it was impossible to turn away.

Like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, Karp is kind of weird, and he doesn’t try to hide it. Instead, he embraces it, and his vulnerability allows his audience to embrace him.

Karp has always been this way. Years ago, Karp made a Bono-level proclamation when he stated about Palantir, “We will be the most important software company in the world.”

Now, everybody is catching on. Karp is becoming “that weird software guy,” even among folks who aren’t focused on investing and trading.

Karp finished his set with a gem: “I was viewed as the Frankenstein monster. I don’t come from wealth. And I get the opportunity to prove myself. No one in this country cares how crazy you are if you deliver!”

The crowd went bananas.

Why does any of this matter? Who cares about the public persona of a CEO?

I’ll answer with this question: Would it have been advantageous to invest in Apple AAPL or Tesla TSLA before their respective CEOs were widely considered to be geniuses?

It’s widely accepted that Steve Jobs was a genius. That seems obvious today, but there were times in his career where Jobs was perceived as a failure.

What can you say about someone who builds rockets, robots, and electric cars, and still finds time to improve the lives of the disabled by putting computer chips in people’s brains? Elon Musk is a genius, but he wasn’t always perceived that way.

Karp just might be that guy. Like Jobs and Musk, his products are revolutionary. Like those rock stars before him, he now embodies his company.

Jobs was Apple. Musk is Tesla. And now, for better or worse, Karp is Palantir. 

At the time of publication, Ponsi was long PLTR.