Palantir CEO Predicts AI Will Create a New Class of Super-Wealthy

Karp, speaking on the MDMeets podcast, estimated that those deeply involved in AI development stand to become 10 to 100 times wealthier than they are today. He characterized this elite group as social outliers, describing them as individuals with high IQs who share little common ground with the average person. In stark contrast, he projects that middle-class workers will see their salaries merely double over the same ten-year window, leaving them far behind the rapid accumulation of capital at the top.

This trend signals a departure from past industrial shifts. Decades ago, executive wealth might have outpaced worker wages, but not at the current scale where billionaire status has become common. Data from Oxfam reinforces this shift, showing global billionaire wealth surged 16% in 2025 alone—three times faster than the previous five-year average. With over 3,000 billionaires now holding a record $18.3 trillion, the gains are increasingly tied to equity in AI and software firms rather than traditional wage growth, cementing what Karp describes as a separate and unequal society.