Former U.S. Sen. Jon Tester takes advisory role with Palantir

Former U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, confirmed Monday that he has accepted an advisory role with Palantir, a data and technology company. The firm has drawn criticism regarding multiple governments’ use of its advanced surveillance technology and data-tracking capabilities. News of Tester’s hiring was first reported by National Public Radio. Tester told Montana Free Press Monday that he’s joined the company because “there’s an opportunity to set the record straight on them.” “I visited with a lot of people in Palantir to make sure this was the right thing to do, because you don’t want to be affiliated with a company that has different values than you’ve got,” Tester said. “And I found most of them to be very libertarian in nature and very much about people’s privacy.” Tester declined to share his compensation. “If I told you and it was too little, you’d say, ‘God, that guy does not know how to negotiate.’ And if it was too much, you’d say, ‘God, he sold out,’” Tester said.

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