DISCLAIMER: GoldInvestors.news is not a registered investment, legal or tax advisor or broker/dealer. All investment/financial opinions expressed by GoldInvestors.news are from the personal research and experience of the owner of the site and are intended as educational material. Although best efforts are made to ensure that all information is accurate and up to date, occasionally unintended errors and misprints may occur.

Palantir cofounder and CEO Alex Karp has stirred frustration far from the American technology world after buying an enormous stretch of Swedish forest. The executive, best known for leading a controversial artificial intelligence defense company valued at $450 billion, has disrupted hunting access around a quiet rural community.

Karp purchased 15,000 hectares, equal to 37,000 acres, in Härjedalen, Sweden. The acquisition was made through his newly registered company, Cladonia Skog AB, of which he is the beneficial owner.

The property reportedly changed hands for 235 million kronor, or about $22 million. Swedish newspaper Tidningen Härjedalen first reported the deal, which came to local attention through notices sent to hunters.

Those hunters learned by mail that they could no longer lease the land for hunting south of Storsjö Kapell. The village is known for hiking and fishing, while hunting leases had provided another form of local access to the surrounding forest.

Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget, a paper manufacturer commonly known as SCA, previously owned the property. The company confirmed the sale and said the land was suboptimal for forestry.

SCA spokesperson Robert Östholm explained that hunting rights were granted under agreements lasting approximately 11 months. Those arrangements could be reviewed and renewed each year while SCA controlled the property.

“We grant hunting rights through lease agreements with a term of approximately 11 months. This means that the agreements can be reviewed and renewed on an annual basis.”

Östholm said the company could no longer grant hunting rights after transferring ownership. The sale therefore left hunters dealing with a new owner whose plans for public access were not detailed in the source.

Karp already has business connections to Sweden through Palantir. Anders Fridén, Palantir’s Sweden country manager, confirmed earlier this year that the company had established a partnership with Swedish defense authorities.

Palantir expanded its software development offering in Europe about a decade ago. Continued European Union use of its services has raised concerns as Europe considers reducing its dependence on American technology and artificial intelligence.

Cladonia told Swedish media that it intends to “carry out forestry and other related activities.” Scandinavian Trust, which brokered the transaction, did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment but has reiterated that Cladonia intends to preserve the property.

Jenny Lopes Da Silva, a Cladonia board member and sales manager at Scandinavian Trust, said the buyer was committed to the landscape. Her statement presented the acquisition as a preservation effort rather than simply a commercial forestry transaction.

“The new owner of the forest property is committed to the beauty of the land and its preservation. The vast, natural forest landscapes offer valuable habitats for plants and animals, while also serving as a place for recreation and restoration.”

The purchase follows a wider appetite for natural land among wealthy buyers. Steve Bruere, president of agricultural real estate firm Peoples Company, said farmland alone has grown into a $4.3 trillion asset class in the United States.

Land is finite, and its potential to retain value has made it attractive as a hedge against inflation and market volatility. United States land costs increased 4.3% year over year in 2025, reaching an average of roughly $4,350 per acre, according to United States Department of Agriculture data.

Carbon credits have also encouraged ownership of agricultural land, including forests. These certifications represent actions taken to offset greenhouse gas emissions and can be traded for emissions allowances.

For some billionaires, landownership also delivers recreational benefits. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is raising Wagyu cattle on his ranch in Kauai, Hawaii, while Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian has operated a family farm in Jupiter, Florida, for six years.

Bruere previously said buyers increasingly recognized benefits that went beyond financial returns. “You can hike it, you can walk on it, you can fish it, you can hunt it, you can grow food on it.”

Karp has made another major land purchase for his own recreational purposes. His holdings reportedly include a 3,700 acre monastery compound in Capitol Creek Valley, Colorado, which sold for $120 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

That transaction also included water rights capable of irrigating 1,500 acres. In Sweden, however, the immediate impact was felt by hunters whose leases ended after a vast forest shifted into the hands of Karp’s newly registered company.

DISCLAIMER: GoldInvestors.news is not a registered investment, legal or tax advisor or broker/dealer. All investment/financial opinions expressed by GoldInvestors.news are from the personal research and experience of the owner of the site and are intended as educational material. Although best efforts are made to ensure that all information is accurate and up to date, occasionally unintended errors and misprints may occur.