Why Palantir Dumped Denver, Yet Another New Plan for Alameda Ave., and Leven Supply Seized

Feb 20, 2026

Adrian Felix, political commentator and prolific local poster, joins to unpack Palantir’s sudden move from Denver and the debate over whether protests or new AI laws played a role. He also discusses the seizure of Leven Supply for unpaid taxes, evolving Alameda Avenue plans, and local wins and fails. Short takes and sharp local commentary throughout.

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ANECDOTE

Remodeling Clues Before The Exit

Paul recalled BusinessDen reporting Palantir was remodeling a Cherry Creek office last fall before the sudden HQ announcement.
That reporting suggested Palantir planned to stay in Denver well into late 2023-2024 before changing course.

INSIGHT

Brand Misfit With Local Values

Adrian argued Palantir's aggressive brand and surveillance ties made it a poor cultural fit for Denver.
Local opposition and protests reinforced that mismatch and likely influenced the company's calculus.

INSIGHT

Investor Perception Affects Local Funding

Investors told Foundry they would avoid Colorado startups after the AI bill, signaling capital flight risk.
That demonstrates how regulation perceptions can chill local venture investment.

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AI tech giant Palantir moved its HQ from Denver to Miami this week, notifying the world via a single tweet. Was this abrupt relocation in response to ongoing protests outside its Denver office or Colorado’s first-in-the-nation AI bill or something else entirely? Political commentator Adrian Felix joins producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies to dig into the controversial company’s departure, plus the uncertain future of Leven Supply after being seized for unpaid taxes, and our wins and fails of the week.

What do you think about Palantir leaving town? We want to hear from you! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

Adrian talked about the proposal to legalize prostitution, which we discussed earlier this week on the pod. Bree discussed the hand painted sign stolen from Duke’s Good Sandwiches and Burgers and the local sign painters who created it. Paul mentioned RTD moving forward with its renaming of Civic Center Station despite pushback, Chad McWhinney and Kimbal Musk in the Epstein Files, and the Poetic Kinetics art installation coming to downtown this summer.

For more on Scott Bottoms’ allegation of a “pedophile ring” at the Capitol, Mandy Connell pressed him on it on KOA yesterday.

After we recorded this episode, we heard back from AG Phil Weiser’s office about Palantir and CO’s AI law. His spokesperson says that they have not had any conversations with Palantir and that Weiser’s position on the AI law remains unchanged since the CU Denver Artificial Intelligence Symposium last fall, when he said his office was going to “hold off on any rule making process to implement the law until after the 2026 legislative session concludes and the General Assembly has an opportunity to make substantive changes to the AI law. This approach will allow us to create the initial rules from a place of more certainty and stability in the underlying law as well as enable us to best use and conserve our limited law enforcement resources.”

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