At such a triumphal moment, it was striking that the company was forced on the defensive, not least for its involvement with the controversial US agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which began in 2011. ICE has drawn criticism for its activities in Minnesota over the last month after its agents shot and killed two American citizens while bystanders captured the events on video.

As it announced its booming financial results, Palantir was prepared. CEO Alex Karp told CNBC: "If you are critical of ICE, you should be out there protesting for more Palantir. Our product, actually, in its core, requires people to conform with Fourth Amendment data protection."