Newly-elected Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes has cleared up the exact nature of his employment with American company Palantir and the shares he held in the company.
It was reported by the Irish Daily Mail that Hayes, who took the final seat in Dublin Bay South from Sinn Féin TD Chris Andrews in November’s election, had worked at a Peter Thiel-owned company in the United States called Palantir and that Hayes had received shares as part of his employment with the company.
Palantir has received criticism for being contracted by the Israeli military over the course of their ongoing war against Gaza and Lebanon.
The firm, owned by Peter Thiel, provides militaries such as the Israeli Defence Forces with artificial intelligence models to identify targets.
Hayes’ victory, in particular, was seen as a bright spot for the party as it came at the expense of Sinn Féin TD Chris Andrews, a long-term advocate of Palestinian rights.
The Hayes affair also comes in the wake of the party dropping a candidate with Israeli citizenship in the run-up to June’s locals following claims she was made “feel uncomfortable” by the party over their usage of the Palestinian flag.
In a statement, Hayes said “I worked for Palantir between 2015 and 2017 in internal operations, in areas like HR and IT, when I lived in the United States. I had absolutely no role in anything related to any military contracts, for the Israeli military or anyone else.”
“As part of my salary package, I was provided with shares. The conditions attaching to those shares meant I was unable to sell them until 2021, six months after the company had gone public.”
“Throughout the course of the past year, Palantir’s support for the Israeli military has markedly increased. In January, the company signed a new strategic partnership with the Israeli Defence Ministry. I should have sold my shares then and I deeply regret that I did not.”
Hayes stated that he did sell his shares in Palantir, but not until the month after he was elected to Dublin City Council in June 2024.
He explained “I had 7,000 shares in the company, all of which dated from my employment nearly a decade ago, and sold them in July 2024 for a pre-tax figure of €199,000.”
At a media plinth in Leinster House on Tuesday, Hayes claimed he sold the shares before he entered politics but said his comments were not true.
“Earlier today, during a press conference, I stated I had sold the shares before I entered politics. This was not true. It was a month after I was first elected.”
“I unreservedly apologise for providing incorrect information and I am now correcting the record.”
Deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan said “Eoin provided incorrect information to the media when he stated he had sold his shares before he entered politics. In fact, his shares were sold a month later in July 2024.”
“This is a serious matter which the party is now reviewing.”