Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Feb 27, 2026

Palantir’s billionaire CEO gives ousted hermit $180K to rebuild cabin

Palantir’s billionaire CEO gives ousted hermit $180K to rebuild cabin

Palantir CEO Alex Karp cut 'River Dave' Lidstone a personal check last week, hermit's friend says

The billionaire founder of data analytics firm Palantir donated $180,000 to a former hermit in New Hampshire so he can rebuild his cabin, which burned down amid a property dispute earlier this month — but in a new location.

Alex Karp, the CEO of Palantir, cut David Lidstone a personal check last week so he can start over, Lidstone’s friend, Jodie Gedeon said in a Facebook post.

Lidstone, or "River Dave" as he’s known by boaters and kayakers, was jailed last month for refusing to leave the land where he was squatting for almost three decades.

His cabin was then burned to the ground earlier this month in a blaze that is being investigated by local authorities.

David Lidstone, 81, sits near the Merrimack River, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, in Boscawen, N.H. Lidstone, an off-the-grid New Hampshire hermit known to locals as "River Dave," had been living in a cabin in the woods along the Merrimack River, in Canterb


Lisa Gordon, a Palantir spokesperson, confirmed that Karp made the donation to The Post but declined to comment further. The donation was first reported by The Concord Monitor.

Karp reportedly has a home in New Hampshire’s Grafton County.

"How can I express myself and my gratitude towards something like that? I start to tear up whenever I think about it," Lidstone told the Monitor. "For an old logger who always had to work, for anyone to give you that type of money, it’s incredibly difficult for me to get my head around."

Lidstone’s friend, Gedeon, told the Monitor that Lidstone will stay in a temporary house for the winter "but we’re not going to be able to build until spring."

Right now, the money is set up in "a trust for Dave and it’s going to be utilized to build him a new home," she reportedly said.

The location is being kept secret to protect Lidstone’s privacy, Gedeon said.

Alex Karp, the CEO of Palantir, cut David Lidstone a personal check last week so he can start over, Lidstone’s friend, Jodie Gedeon said in a Facebook post.


Lidstone made headlines and sparked an outpouring of support after he was arrested and accused of squatting for 27 years on property owned by Leonard Giles of Vermont.

The property, undeveloped and mostly used for timber harvests, has been owned by the same family since 1963.

Lidstone had said a prior owner in the family gave his word years ago that he could live there, but had nothing in writing. He later disputed that he was even on the property.

Smoke rises Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, from the burnt remains of a cabin in Canterbury, N.H., inhabited by 81-year-old David Lidstone.


Since his emergence in the public spotlight, Lidstone has said he’s not sure he can ever return to his former off-the-grid life as a hermit.

"I don’t see how I can go back to being a hermit because society is not going to allow it," David Lidstone said in an interview with The Associated Press.


"Maybe the things I’ve been trying to avoid are the things that I really need in life," said Lidstone, who drifted apart from his family. "I grew up never being hugged or kissed, or any close contact.

"I had somebody ask me once, about my wife: ‘Did you really love her?’ And the question kind of shocked me for a second. I … I’ve never loved anybody in my life. And I shocked myself because I hadn’t realized that. And that’s why I was a hermit. Now I can see love being expressed that I never had before."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Asian LPG Prices Surge After Damage Forces Saudi Aramco Export Disruptions
Saudi Arabia Unveils $100 Billion AI Infrastructure Fund to Challenge US and China
Saudi Stocks Close Lower as Tadawul All Share Index Falls 1.28 Percent
Saudi Arabia Launches Smart Mapping System to Enhance Pilgrim Experience at Holy Sites
Cristiano Ronaldo Acquires 25 Percent Stake in Saudi-Owned Spanish Club Almería
U.S.–Saudi Relations Balance Transactional Deal-Making with Expanding Strategic Ambitions
Israel’s President Herzog Signals Cautious Message on Saudi Ties at UAE Iftar in Tel Aviv
United States and Saudi Arabia Strengthen Security Ties with Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Exercise
Saudi Arabia Responds to Israel–UAE Moves in Somalia as Regional Rivalries Intensify
Saudi Arabia Showcases Expanding Defense Ambitions at World Defense Show 2026
SECRETARY RUBIO on IRAN: Iran poses a very great threat to the United States, and has for a very long time.
Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary, is resigning from Harvard University as fallout continues over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, with the Dow gaining about six-tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 adding eight-tenths of a percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing roughly one-and-a-quarter percent.
Nvidia posted better than expected results for the January quarter on Wednesday and forecast current quarter revenue above market estimates.
Saudi Arabia’s Coffee Renaissance Gains Momentum as Investment and Heritage Drive Industry Growth
Saudi Shipping Leader Bahri Expands Fleet as Tanker Rates Approach $200,000 a Day
Saudi Arabia Advances First National Urban Policy Through High-Level Leadership and Institutional Alliances
Major Life Sciences Summits to Spotlight Saudi Arabia’s Rise as Regional Biotech and Pharma Hub
Saudi Arabia Reframes Red Sea and Horn of Africa Strategy Amid Rising Security and Trade Stakes
Saudi Arabia Recalibrates Its Role in Shifting Regional and Global Power Dynamics
Saudi Retail Signals to Global Brands: Localise or Lose Ground in a Rapidly Evolving Market
Saudi Arabia Looks to Human Capital Investment to Unlock Demographic Dividend
Saudi Arabia and Iran Increase Oil Exports Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Saudi Data Protection Authority Intensifies Enforcement Under Personal Data Law
Saudi Arabia Raises Oil Output and Exports Amid Contingency Planning Over Iran Tensions
USS Gerald R Ford Arrives in Souda, Crete
Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Unit Expands Push Into Global Private Credit
Saudi Arabia Eases Headquarters Rules to Attract More Foreign Firms
Saipem Secures Major Offshore Pipeline Contract in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s Targeted Oil Export Cuts to the US Seen as Strategic Signal Amid Global Supply Glut
Nemetschek Arabia Signs Strategic MoU with Saudi Facility Management Association
Gulf Markets Close Mixed as Saudi Shares Slip on Budget Deficit Concerns
Saudi Arabia Posts Largest Quarterly Budget Deficit in Years Amid Weaker Oil Revenues and Higher Spending
U.S. Lawmaker Urges Safeguards on Saudi Civil Nuclear Deal as Trump Administration Advances Agreement
Saudi Arabia and Gulf Allies Rally Behind Kuwait in Escalating Maritime Border Dispute with Iraq
Universal Aviation Secures License to Operate and Manage New General Aviation Terminal in Dammam
Tucker Carlson’s Saudi Arabia Remarks Spark Debate Over Israel Stance
GCC Secretary-General Holds Talks with EU Ambassador in Riyadh
Gulf States’ AI Investment Drive Seen as Strategic Bet on Technology and U.S. Security Ties
African Union Commission Chair Meets Saudi Vice Foreign Minister to Deepen Strategic Cooperation
President El-Sisi Holds Strategic Talks with Saudi Crown Prince in Riyadh
Lucid Unveils Up to $12,000 Incentive for Air and Gravity Models in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Enters Global AI Partnership, Expanding Its Role in International Technology Governance
Saudi Arabia’s Landmark U.S. LNG Agreement Signals Major Strategic Shift
Saudi Arabia Accelerates Global Gaming Push with Billion-Dollar Deals and Expanded PIF Mandate
Saudi Arabia Reports $25.28 Billion Budget Deficit in Fourth Quarter of 2025
Alvarez & Marsal Tax Establishes Dedicated Pillar Two and Transfer Pricing Team in Saudi Arabia
United States Approves Over Fifteen Billion Dollars in Major Arms Sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia
Pre-Iftar Walks Gain Momentum as Ramadan Wellness Trend Spreads
Middle East Jackup Rig Fleet Contracts Further After Saudi Drilling Suspensions
×