Palantir CEO Alex Karp: "Colorado is a very sane and pleasant place"

Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp is dishing about what's kept him in Colorado since relocating one of Silicon Valley's most talked-about tech companies to Denver in 2020.

Why it matters: As one of the highest-paid executives in history, Karp's move to the Mile High City solidifies the area as an emerging technology hub and could spur other top tech leaders to follow suit.

Driving the news: At a recent conference in Palo Alto, California, Karp praised Colorado as a prime place to start a company and contrasted it with Silicon Valley, which he criticized for its "woke mob" and anti-patriotism, the Denver Business Journal reports.

• Palantir, a global data-mining firm known for its secrecy, has drawn protests by Bay Area activists over its contracts with law enforcement and government agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

What he's saying: "Colorado is a very sane and pleasant place," Karp said. "It's very likable, very pragmatic, and [there are] a lot of industrious, smart people that also want to live in Colorado. It's great."

Flashback: Karp previewed his thinking about moving his company to Denver in an "Axios on HBO" interview two years ago.

• He blamed Silicon Valley's "increasing intolerance and monoculture" for pushing Palantir out.