Business & Finance

Palantir CEO Alex Karp Purchases 37,000‑acre Swedish Forest, Ending Hunting Leases

By TOI Tech Desk

Alex Karp, the chief executive of Palantir, has bought 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of forest in Härjedalen, Sweden, through his newly formed company Cladonia Skog AB. The transaction, reported by the Swedish newspaper Tidningen Härjedalen, was for 235 million kronor, roughly $22 million. Hunters in the area received mail notifications that they could no longer lease the land for hunting south of the quiet village of Storsjö Kapell, a place known for hiking and fishing. The sale was confirmed by Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA), the former owner of the property. In an email to Fortune, SCA spokesperson Robert Östholm explained that hunting rights are granted through lease agreements lasting about 11 months, which can be reviewed and renewed annually. "As we have now sold the land in question, we can of course no longer grant hunting rights on it, as the land is no longer owned by us," he said. Jenny Lopes Da Silva, a board member of Cladonia and sales manager at Scandinavian Trust, stated that the new owner is committed to preserving the beauty of the land and its wildlife habitats while also providing a space for recreation and restoration. Karp has long ties to Sweden through Palantir’s partnership with Swedish defense authorities, and the company has expanded its software‑development services in Europe for about a decade. The continued use of Palantir’s services by the EU has raised concerns amid Europe’s plans to reduce reliance on U.S. technology and AI.