‘The Big Short’ famed investor Michael Burry turned his sights on Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) CEO Alex Karp‘s travel expenses on Wednesday, posting on X (formerly Twitter) about a disclosure buried in the company’s annual 10-K filing released Tuesday.



The filing reveals that Karp uses a privately owned aircraft for business and personal travel, with the company incurring $17.2 million and $7.7 million in expenses for the Executive Aircraft in 2025 and 2024, respectively.



Burry’s reaction was pointed: “It’s quite the feat to spend $17.2mn in a year on ‘business and personal travel’, particularly when the jet’s not even a rental.”



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div>
<blockquote>From Palantir's Form 10k released on Tuesday: Alexander Karp, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, flies on non-commercial aircraft beneficially owned by him (the &#34;Executive Aircraft&#34;) for business and personal travel. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the…— Cassandra Unchained (@michaeljburry) February 18, 2026</blockquote>
</div></figure>



<h2>The Numbers</h2>



Burry referenced Jefferies analyst Brent Thill‘s analysis, which ran cost-per-hour calculations based on the disclosed figure. He pointed out that, assuming the use of a mid-sized jet with an estimated operating cost of approximately $7,000 per hour, this would translate to about 2,457 flight hours, or roughly 28% of the year spent in the air. 



Even in a more conservative scenario, using a high-end jet like the Gulfstream G650, with an estimated operating cost of around $15,000 per hour, the $17.2 million still corresponds to roughly 1,147 flight hours, or about 13% of the year.



<h2>Peers Spent Far Less</h2>



Burry highlighted the disparity between Karp’s travel expenses and those of other major tech CEOs, noting that the $17.2 million figure seems significantly higher than peers. 



For example, Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent around $1.8 million, while Palo Alto Networks Inc (NASDAQ:PANW) CEO Nikesh Arora spent approximately $2.4 million on private aircraft travel. 



Additionally, the $17.2 million is more than double Karp’s own spending from the previous year, which was $7.7 million in 2024.



<h2>Burry’s Broader Campaign Against PLTR</h2>



This latest post fits into Burry’s sustained campaign against Palantir. He has previously flagged what he calls the company’s moat being little more than “obstruction of data transfer,” citing a public dispute in which the NYPD alleged Palantir refused to provide data in a format compatible with competing systems. 



Burry has also shared a technical “Head &amp; Shoulders” chart pattern projecting up to 58% downside for the stock, with a target “Landing Area” of $50–$60. Karp has previously dismissed Burry’s bearishness as “BatS—t Crazy.”



PLTR Price Action: Palantir Technologies shares were up 5.03% at $139.71 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.



Photo by Mamun Sheikh via Shutterstock

PLTR

Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp's travel expenses have come under scrutiny from investor Michael Burry, who highlighted a $17.2 million expenditure for 2025 on private jet travel, significantly higher than peers like Mark Zuckerberg and Nikesh Arora. Burry noted that Karp's spending is more than double his previous year's expenses and questioned the justification for such costs. This criticism aligns with Burry's ongoing skepticism about Palantir's business model and stock performance, which he predicts could see a significant decline.

- Investor Michael Burry criticized Palantir Technologies' CEO Alex Karp for his substantial travel expenses, revealing $17.2 million for 2025, a significant increase from $7.7 million in 2024.  
- Burry pointed out that this amount vastly exceeds that of peers like Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Palo Alto Networks' Nikesh Arora, who spent $1.8 million and $2.4 million respectively on similar travel.  
- This scrutiny is part of Burry's ongoing campaign against Palantir, where he has also raised concerns about the company's operational efficiency and projected significant downside for its stock.

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Palantir CEO Alex Karp Outspends Mark Zuckerberg On Private Jet, Michael Burry Calls It 'Quite The Feat'