Gregory Barbaccia, a decade-long Palantir veteran, was named Federal Chief Information Officer on January 27, 2025, placing him in charge of the federal government's more than $100 billion in annual technology investments. Barbaccia spent ten years at Palantir starting in 2010, rising from government account manager to head of Intelligence and Investigations. He then served as CISO at Theorem, a machine-learning asset manager, before joining the Trump administration.
As Federal CIO within the Office of Management and Budget, Barbaccia sets government-wide IT policy, oversees procurement strategy, and shapes cybersecurity standards across every federal agency. He was later also appointed Acting Director of the Technology Transformation Services at GSA and Federal Chief AI Officer, further consolidating technology authority.
The conflict-of-interest vector is direct: Palantir is one of the largest federal technology contractors, with billions in government contracts across defense, intelligence, and civilian agencies. A former Palantir executive now controls the procurement policies and IT investment frameworks that determine which companies win federal technology contracts. Barbaccia's appointment is part of a broader pattern of Thiel-network personnel being placed in positions that directly benefit Palantir's business interests.