Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said that before Tuesday, he did not know the company was leaving Colorado.
DENVER — Palantir Technologies, the artificial intelligence company known for its government surveillance contracts, relocated its global headquarters from Denver to the Miami area without notifying Colorado’s governor or Denver’s mayor.
Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colorado, said he learned of the move through the social media post Palantir published Tuesday morning.
“I was not notified,” Polis said. “I understand there’s some public posting from the company, but I have not received any official notification of that.”
The post from Palantir said, “We have moved our headquarters to Miami, Florida.”
Polis said he believes more than 500 employees are based in Colorado and expressed uncertainty about what the headquarters move means for those workers.
“What I would be looking to is does it affect any jobs here in Colorado — it’s not clear if a headquarters move would or wouldn’t affect that,” he said.
Polis added that he has requested a meeting with company executives to learn more.
Palantir also filed its annual investor report on Tuesday, listing an Aventura address as its headquarters. Aventura is between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Denver was listed as its former address.
“Even as we speak, there’s activists in Miami mobilizing to keep the pressure on,” Palantir protestor Michael said outside of the company’s Cherry Creek North office building.
Michael, who would not give his last name, is part of a group protesting Palantir in part for its military contracts, and in part for reports that it is using artificial intelligence to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with deportations.
“It is safe to organize, but I like to be careful what I hand to an international surveillance and targeting company,” Michael said about not sharing his last name.
The company’s name has not been displayed on either of its Denver locations — the Tabor Center downtown or its newer location at Second Avenue and Detroit Street in Cherry Creek North.
In its annual investor filing, Palantir reported annual profit of $1.6 billion, which is more than triple its profit from 2024.
The company also hinted at two reasons that may have influenced the move: Colorado’s AI legislation and climate-related risks.
The company specifically cited Colorado’s 2024 AI bill, which requires businesses using artificial intelligence to protect against algorithmic discrimination and notify consumers when AI is used to make decisions affecting employment, finance or healthcare. Palantir wrote in the filing that “compliance with such obligations may be difficult, onerous, and costly, and could adversely affect our business.”
The filing also noted that “our Colorado headquarters has experienced climate-related events and may continue to at an increasing frequency in the future, including drought, water scarcity, heat waves and wildfires resulting in air quality impacts and power shutoffs.”
Despite the headquarters move, Michael said activists do not plan to stand down.
“We believe that they are still operating offices here in Denver; we definitely won’t be stopping our campaign any time soon,” he said.
Under Colorado law, companies are required to file a notice with the state employment office if a relocation results in mass layoffs. That WARN notice had not been filed or posted as of Tuesday evening.