Musk Connection: Unknown
Other Corporate Affiliations: Lead Palantir’s platform infrastructure and cloud strategy
DOGE Deployment: Department of Health and Human Services
Clark Minor Was Appointed As The Chief Information Officer At The Department Of Health And Human Services
- Clark Minor was appointed as the chief information officer (CIO) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The CIO oversees cybersecurity and data privacy for the department.
Minor Previously Worked At Palantir, A Data Analytics Firm With Millions In Contracts With HHS That Has Been Criticized For Allegedly Contributing To Human Rights Violations With US Immigration Services And Israeli Defense Forces
- Minor previously worked at Palantir, heading the company’s platform infrastructure and cloud strategy.
- Palantir is a software and analytics company founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, with federal contracts totaling $2.5 billion since 2009. According to reporting from Bloomberg, Palantir had “nearly $300 million in transactions with HHS” from FY2021-2024.
- Palantir has been criticized for its surveillance and data analysis technology that it has sold to governments. Amnesty International produced a report on Palantir work with DHS and ICE, finding a “high risk that Palantir is contributing to serious human rights violations of migrants and asylum-seekers by the U.S. government.” Palantir also works closely with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), providing artificial intelligence tools that the IDF uses in drone and air strikes on Gaza. Storebrand Asset Management divested from Palantir due to fears that its work with the IDF risks violating international law.
Over The Past Few Years, HHS Has Awarded Multi-Year Contracts To Palantir Worth Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars For Use Of Its Software And AI Programs
- In 2024, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within HHS, awarded Palantir a two-year, $19 million contract. ARPA-H will use Palantir AI and software to track research programs under the agency’s purview.
- In 2022, Palantir and HHS agreed to a five year contract worth $90 million for the Department to have access to Palantir’s Foundry program. Foundry is Palantir’s operating system that provides data processing and data analytics capabilities.
- In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded Palantir a five year contract worth $443 million to “modernize the nation’s public health infrastructure” by implementing Palantir software at the agency.
As Elon Musk’s DOGE continues to tear through agencies with little oversight or transparency, the Revolving Door Project is publishing profiles of reported DOGE employees: who they are, where they came from, and any conflicts of interest that might make their unfettered access to the federal government dangerous to the public. Read them all here.