Jacob Helberg
Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment (confirmed October 2025), responsible for U.S. commercial diplomacy, AI and semiconductor export controls, and international technology transfer policy.
Jacob Helberg is the 22nd Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, confirmed by the Senate in October 2025. His office oversees U.S. policy on AI export controls, semiconductor sales to Gulf states, and commercial technology transfer. Helberg retained investments in hundreds of companies including OpenAI, SpaceX, Anduril Industries, and Neuralink, along with financial stakes in Founders Fund (Funds V–VIII) and Khosla Ventures across more than fifteen fund entities. His OGE Form 278e, signed January 24, 2025, acknowledged a "heightened risk of conflicts of interest" 1. A Certificate of Divestiture (OGE-2025-320) was issued, and his Senate confirmation hearing on June 10, 2025 proceeded with what, according to reporting, was no substantial public discussion of those conflicts 23.
Before entering government, Helberg served as Senior Advisor to Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp from September 2023, earning $840,000 in consulting fees and accumulating Palantir stock disclosed at $100 million–$250 million. His net worth is reported at $112 million–$426 million, derived largely from Founders Fund carried interest at 20–30 percent across multiple fund generations affiliated with Peter Thiel. FEC records show Helberg donated $1,000,000 to Make America Great Again Inc. on July 10, 2024, $845,000 to the Trump 47 Committee, and a combined $1.86 million to Trump-specific vehicles, having previously given $108,800 to the Biden Victory Fund and tens of thousands more to Democratic committees in 2020 456.
Before government service, Helberg held roles at Google (global policy lead for foreign interference, 2016–2020), Stanford’s Center on Geopolitics and Technology, the Center for a New American Security, and the Brookings Institution China Strategy Working Group. He is married to Keith Rabois, a managing director at Khosla Ventures and former Founders Fund general partner, whose carried interest entities, per Helberg’s disclosure filings, overlap with his own disclosed financial positions 73.
Retained Investment Portfolio and Disclosed Conflicts
Helberg’s OGE Form 278e, signed January 24, 2025, discloses retained investments spanning AI, defense, space technology, clean energy, fintech, drones, quantum computing, lab-grown meat, fusion energy, and firearms 1. According to Bloomberg and Sludge reporting in May and June 2025, the portfolio covers hundreds of companies, with named holdings including SpaceX, OpenAI, Anduril Industries, Neuralink, and Stripe 2. His ProPublica financial disclosure lists Palantir stock at $100 million–$250 million, L3Harris at $100,000–$250,000, Northrop Grumman at $100,000–$250,000, Lockheed Martin at up to $250,000, Saildrone at $50,000–$100,000, Varda Space Industries at $100,000–$250,000, and Kayhan Space at $100,000–$250,000, alongside Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon holdings valued at $1 million–$25 million each 6.
Analysis of these disclosed holdings against Helberg’s policy portfolio suggests direct intersections in several areas. AI export controls affect OpenAI, Anduril, and other AI companies in his portfolio. Semiconductor and chip sales policy toward the UAE and Saudi Arabia affects SpaceX Starshield, Anduril, and associated companies. Broader technology transfer policy touches his drone, quantum computing, fusion energy, and defense-tech positions 8. His filing acknowledged a "heightened risk of conflicts of interest," and no ethics waiver was publicly reported 1. A Certificate of Divestiture (OGE-2025-320) was issued, indicating intent to divest some positions under tax-deferred treatment, but the scope of any actual divestiture in relation to his full retained portfolio had not been publicly resolved at confirmation 3.
ProPublica’s analysis of financial disclosures across the current administration identified 141 appointees holding Palantir Technologies stock, with Helberg among those whose prior employment relationship with the company is direct 6. Palantir’s federal contract revenue grew from $541 million in 2024 to $970 million in 2025 during the period overlapping Helberg’s appointment and the placement of other Palantir alumni in procurement-controlling federal CIO positions 3.
Political Donation Record and Realignment
FEC records show Helberg as a substantial Democratic donor in 2020: $108,800 to the Biden Victory Fund (September 29, 2020), $50,000 to Priorities USA Action (September 29, 2020), $100,000 to the Senate Majority PAC (September 29, 2020), and $25,000 to the DSCC (October 16, 2020), alongside multiple Democratic state party contributions. His FEC employer listing at the time was Stanford University Cyber Policy Center 4.
By 2024, with his employer listed as Palantir Technologies, Helberg contributed $1,000,000 to Make America Great Again Inc. (July 10, 2024), $845,000 to the Trump 47 Committee, $12,000 to the Trump Save America JFC, and $5,000 to Save America, totaling $1.862 million directed to Trump-specific political vehicles. Additional 2024 contributions include $50,000 to Grow The Majority, $41,300 to the NRCC, and targeted giving to members with committee jurisdiction over defense and foreign affairs: $25,000 to Team McCaul Texas Victory plus $5,800 to McCaul for Congress (House Foreign Affairs Committee chair), $15,000 to the Cotton Majority Committee plus contributions to Cotton for Senate (Senate Armed Services Committee), and $3,300 to Michael Waltz for Congress. Waltz subsequently became National Security Advisor 54.
Helberg’s total reported FEC giving is $2.97 million, with 63 percent directed to Republican recipients. His employer affiliations in FEC filings shift across Palantir Technologies, Founders Fund, Stanford, CSIS, and "Senior Policy Advisor," tracking his movement across institutional roles in the years preceding his nomination 5.
Palantir, Founders Fund, and the Thiel Network
Helberg’s financial ties to Palantir Technologies are both direct and layered. He served as Senior Advisor to CEO Alex Karp from September 2023 through his nomination, earning $840,000 in consulting fees and accumulating Palantir stock. His ProPublica disclosure lists the advisory relationship as a primary income source during the period immediately preceding his appointment 63.
Separately, Helberg holds management positions and 20–30 percent carried interest in Founders Fund Funds V, VI, VII, VIII, and Growth I/II, the flagship venture capital fund of Peter Thiel. ProPublica’s cross-administration analysis identified 14 government appointees holding Founders Fund positions, with Helberg and Kenneth Howery (Ambassador to Denmark, net worth approximately $507 million) as the most directly embedded within the fund structure 6.
Helberg is married to Keith Rabois, a managing director at Khosla Ventures and former general partner at Founders Fund. The marriage ceremony in 2018 was officiated by Sam Altman, who is also a principal of OpenAI — a company in Helberg’s retained investment portfolio and one whose international expansion is subject to export control decisions made by his office. Per his disclosure filings, Khosla Ventures carried interest positions span more than ten fund entities 73.
Within the broader investigation, network analysis places Palantir Technologies in a 4-clique with Alex Karp, Helberg, and Peter Thiel, positioning it as a structural bridge between the Thiel venture capital network and federal defense and intelligence procurement systems.
Jacob Helberg
Career and Institutional Positioning
Before his Palantir advisory role, Helberg served as Google’s global lead for internal product policy on foreign interference from 2016 to 2020. During the same period, he was on the founding team of GeoQuant, a geopolitical risk forecasting firm backed by Swiss Re 7.
From 2020 forward, Helberg held adjunct and advisory positions across multiple national security institutions: Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security Technology and National Security Program; Senior Advisor at the Stanford Center on Geopolitics and Technology; co-chair of the Brookings Institution China Strategy Working Group; and member of the Manufacturing Leadership Council at the National Association of Manufacturers. He was also appointed Commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, an advisory body that produces classified and unclassified reports on China-related economic and national security threats 97.
During this period, with his employer listed in FEC records as Stanford University and later Founders Fund, Helberg was a bundler for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign. His book The Wires of War (Simon and Schuster, October 2021) focused on U.S.-China technology competition and positioned him within the China-hawk policy community whose intellectual framework later informed export control tightening under both the Biden and Trump administrations 7.
Palantir Government Expansion During Helberg's Tenure
Helberg’s confirmation as Under Secretary of State in October 2025 coincided with a period of accelerating Palantir federal contract growth. In the months surrounding his nomination and confirmation, Palantir secured a $795 million boost to the Maven Smart System contract (May 2025), a $30 million sole-source ImmigrationOS contract for ICE (September 2025), a USCIS VOWS contract (December 2025), and a $1 billion blanket purchase agreement with DHS covering Gotham and Foundry platforms across CBP, ICE, FEMA, and CISA (February 2026). Federal contract revenue rose to $970.5 million in 2025 3.
At least five other Palantir alumni were placed in senior federal technology roles during the same period: Gregory Barbaccia (10-year Palantir veteran) as Federal CIO at OMB; Clark Minor (13-year Palantir veteran) as HHS CIO; Allan Mangaser as Senior Advisor to the Federal CIO; Akash Bobba in a senior OPM role; and Anthony Jancso in a DOGE-adjacent recruiting function. Barbaccia and Minor hold positions controlling government-wide IT procurement policy, and both are former Palantir employees whose agencies are among the company’s largest federal customers 3. The temporal correlation between alumni placement and contract growth has not been independently verified as causal in primary source documents held by this investigation.
All Connections
6 total
All Connections
6 totalHelberg served as senior advisor to Palantir CEO Alex Karp. Now Under Sec State for Economic Affairs controlling AI export policy that impacts Palantir's international operations.
Helberg served as Senior Advisor to CEO Alex Karp at Palantir. Now Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth. Donated $1M to Trump campaign + $3.9M to Trump-aligned PACs. Represents most direct Palantir-to-cabinet-level pipeline.
Senior Advisor to Palantir CEO Alex Karp; retains Palantir-connected investments while serving as Under Secretary of State
Married 2018 (ceremony officiated by Sam Altman); Rabois is MD at Khosla Ventures / ex-Founders Fund GP; many of Helberg's investments tied to these funds
Former Palantir executive. Helberg served as Senior Advisor to CEO Karp at Palantir from 9/2023-Present, earning $840K in consulting fees. Holds Palantir stock.
Founders Fund carried interest. Helberg holds management positions and carried interest in Founders Fund V-VIII and Growth I/II -- Thiel's flagship VC firm. 20-30% profit share across funds.
All Findings
10 total
All Findings
10 totalfinancial (8)
Jacob Helberg (Under Sec State for Economic Affairs, confirmed Oct 2025) retaining investments in dozens of AI, defense, and fintech companies including SpaceX and OpenAI while serving. Former Palantir senior advisor to CEO Alex Karp. Former Google global policy lead for foreign interference (2016-2020). Commissioner on US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Husband of Keith Rabois (Khosla Ventures MD, PayPal Mafia). Position controls economic diplomacy including AI export controls, chip sales, and commercial tech policy that directly impacts his retained portfolio.
Jacob Helberg retains hundreds of investments including SpaceX, OpenAI, Anduril, Palantir ties while serving as Under Secretary of State
Jacob Helberg confirmed as 22nd Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and Environment. Per May 2025 OGE Form 278e (electronically signed 01/24/2025), Helberg plans to retain investments in hundreds of companies spanning AI, defense, space tech, clean energy, fintech, drones, quantum computing. Key holdings: OpenAI, SpaceX, Anduril Industries, Neuralink, Stripe. Former Senior Advisor to Palantir CEO Alex Karp. Husband is Keith Rabois, managing director at Khosla Ventures (formerly Founders Fund GP). Many investments tied to Founders Fund and Khosla Ventures portfolios. Helberg admitted heightened risk of conflicts of interest in ethics disclosure. Confirmation hearing before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 10, 2025 reportedly 'advanced with no substantial discussion of his conflicts.'
Jacob Helberg FEC records show dramatic political realignment: Biden bundler turned Trump megadonor with 1M MAGA donation
FEC records show Jacob Helberg donated $108,800 to Biden Victory Fund (09/29/2020), $50,000 to Priorities USA Action (09/29/2020), $100,000 to SMP (09/29/2020), $25,000 to DSCC (10/16/2020), plus multiple Democratic state party donations totaling hundreds of thousands. Then by 2024: $1,000,000 to Make America Great Again Inc (07/10/2024), $50,000 to Grow The Majority (09/30/2024), $41,300 to NRCC (09/30/2024). Listed employers shift from Stanford University Cyber Policy Center (2020-2021) to Founders Fund (2022) to Palantir/Outbound (2024). Based in Miami Beach, FL (previously San Francisco, CA). Also donated to Michael Waltz for Congress ($3,300) and Warrior Diplomat PAC ($5,000).
FEC: Helberg donated M to MAGA Inc., K+ to GOP committees while at Palantir/Founders Fund
FEC records show Helberg made major political donations: M to Make America Great Again Inc. (2024-07-10, employer listed as Palantir Technologies), K to Grow the Majority, .3K to NRCC, K each to SD/KY/NM/TX Republican parties, .15K to Servant Leadership Fund, K each to American Revival PAC and Warrior Diplomat PAC, .3K each to Mike Johnson and Michael Waltz. Employer listed variously as Palantir Technologies, Palantir, Founders Fund, Plantir Technologies (misspelled), and Outbound.
Helberg retained hundreds of tech/defense investments as Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
Bloomberg (May 2025) and Sludge (June 2025) reported Helberg retained investments in hundreds of companies while serving as Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment. Named holdings include: SpaceX, OpenAI, Anduril Industries, Neuralink, Stripe, plus companies in drones, quantum computing, lab-grown meat, fusion energy, and firearms sectors. Portfolio tied to Founders Fund and Khosla Ventures. Helberg admitted a 'heightened risk of conflicts of interest' in his ethics filing. Senate confirmation proceeded with no substantial discussion of conflicts. No ethics waiver mentioned. His role directly controls AI export controls, chip sales to UAE/Saudi Arabia, and technology transfer policy.
ProPublica Financial Disclosure: Jacob Helberg serving as Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment. Net worth $112M-$426M+. Key holdings: Palantir Senior Advisor to CEO (consulting fees $840K), Founders Fund V-VIII Management (carried interest across 5+ funds), Khosla Ventures (carried interest across 10+ fund entities), L3Harris ($100-250K), Northrop Grumman ($100-250K), Lockheed Martin ($1-15K to $100-250K), multiple Palantir stock positions, plus defense-tech investments: Saildrone (autonomous naval vessels $50-100K), Hadrian Automation (robotic manufacturing), Varda Space Industries ($100-250K), Kayhan Space ($100-250K), OneBrief (military planning platform). Apple/Nvidia/Microsoft/Amazon each $1-25M. Former Palantir executive now making State Dept economic policy while holding Palantir stock, defense contractor shares, and carried interest in VC funds with defense-tech portfolios.
Palantir advisor and Founders Fund partner Jacob Helberg donated $2.97M total (63% Republican). He is the third-largest direct Trump donor in the defense tech network: $845K to Trump 47 Committee, $1M to Make America Great Again Inc., $12K to Trump Save America JFC, and $5K to Save America — totaling $1.86M to Trump-specific vehicles. His defense oversight committee giving is notably concentrated: $25K Team McCaul Texas Victory + $5.8K McCaul for Congress (HFAC Chair), $15K Cotton Majority Committee + Cotton for Senate (SASC), $5K Jobs Freedom & Security PAC, and $3.3K Michael Waltz for Congress (now NSA). Helberg's employer listed variously as Palantir, Founders Fund, CSIS, Stanford, and 'Senior Policy Advisor' — reflecting his multi-institutional positioning.
DOGE Personnel: Jacob Helberg — Palantir Senior Advisor, Under Secretary of State, $112M+ net worth with Founders Fund carry
Jacob Helberg, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment. Prior: Palantir Senior Advisor to CEO (9/2023-present), CNAS Senior Adjunct Fellow, Brookings China Strategy Initiative co-chair. Net worth $112.2M-$426.3M. CRITICAL: Holds $100M-$250M Palantir stock, received $840K Palantir consulting fees. Extensive Founders Fund positions (Funds V through VIII) with 20-30% carried interest. Also holds Khosla Ventures positions. Palantir holds massive federal contracts across defense and intelligence — Helberg's State Dept role directly intersects with international tech policy affecting Palantir markets. Certificate of Divestiture issued (OGE-2025-320). Disposition: EMBEDDED (confirmed by Senate).
relationship (1)
LittleSis: Helberg was Google global policy lead (2016-2020), CNAS fellow, Buttigieg bundler
LittleSis (entity #362108): Helberg was Google's global lead for internal product policy combating foreign interference (2016-2020). Adjunct Senior Fellow at CNAS Technology and National Security Program. Venture capital investor. Author of 'The Wires of War' (Simon & Schuster, Oct 2021). Senior Advisor at Stanford Center on Geopolitics and Technology. Co-chair of Brookings Institution China Strategy Working Group. Member of Manufacturing Leadership Council at National Association of Manufacturers. Previously founding team of GeoQuant (geopolitical risk forecasting, backed by Swiss Re). MS in Cybersecurity Risk and Strategy from NYU. Listed as Buttigieg bundler in LittleSis blurb, now a major Trump/MAGA donor.
intelligence (1)
Helberg portfolio creates direct conflicts with State Dept economic policy on AI export controls, chip sales
As Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Helberg controls policy on: (1) AI export controls — he holds stakes in OpenAI, Anduril, and AI companies; (2) chip sales to UAE/Saudi Arabia — directly affects SpaceX Starshield, Anduril, and AI companies in his portfolio; (3) technology transfer policy — his holdings span drones, quantum computing, fusion energy, defense tech; (4) Three Elon Musk companies in portfolio (SpaceX, Neuralink, Boring Co.) while DOGE has pulled in 12+ people from Helberg's shared orbit. The combination of hundreds of retained investments plus an admitted heightened risk of conflicts with no formal ethics waiver represents a significant oversight gap.