Alexander Alden might become the next U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan. He’s also employed by Palantir — the Trump-friendly immigration and defense contracting behemoth — and owns up to $25 million worth of stock in the company, according to new federal filings reviewed by NOTUS.
Alden, who President Donald Trump nominated for the diplomatic position earlier this month, has worked as a senior counselor for Palantir since 2021, according to a financial disclosure with the Office of Government Ethics. Alden disclosed owning $5 million to $25 million in common Palantir stock and an additional $1 million to $5 million in Palantir unvested stock that will be awarded to him later this year.
In his financial disclosures, Alden said he would divest from his Palantir stock within 90 days of being confirmed as Azerbaijan ambassador. He also agreed to resign from his position at Palantir, giving up any unvested stock.
Azerbaijan’s state media reported that senior Azerbaijani officials met with Palantir representatives in the United Kingdom to discuss potential government contracts earlier this year.
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Alden, who advised Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a special government employee while also working at Palantir, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“If confirmed, Alexander Alden will fully comply with all the terms of his ethics agreement,” a State Department spokesperson told NOTUS in an email.
The White House and Palantir did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump considered Alden for a U.S. top diplomatic position for Europe last year, but Politico reported that Alden faced accusations of workplace misconduct — which Alden denied — and the nomination never materialized.
Alden served in the National Security Council from 2018 to 2019 during Trump’s first administration. He was reportedly ousted from that position after colleagues complained about his treatment of subordinates.
Palantir has become one of the most consequential government contractors in the Trump administration.
The company has been awarded roughly $1 billion in government contracts — including major technology deals with Immigration and Customs Enforcement — in the past fiscal year. Palantir has developed software to help federal immigration agents find immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. without proper documentation.
Meanwhile, Palantir developed an AI military targeting platform known as Maven Smart Systems, which the U.S. military used to help select targets in the first days of the U.S. war with Iran.
Trump also personally traded millions of dollars worth of Palantir stock earlier this year.
The Miami-based company uses AI in part to parse large sets of data for corporate and government clients. However, some of its government contracts with immigration enforcement and the Defense Department have been controversial among privacy advocates — and even some Palantir employees.
This story has been updated to include a comment from the State Department.
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