Alex Karp claps back at Wall Street critics who think he's an 'arrogant prick': 'If you're right a lot, maybe exerting that you're going to be right tomorrow is pretty important'

Andrew Ross Sorkin and Alex Karp speak onstage during The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 03, 2025 in New York City. (Credit: David Dee Delgado—Getty Images for The New York Times)

Alex Karp is known for founding and running a $414 billion company and being one of the highest-paid CEOs in tech. He is also known, as he admitted during the New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday, for being “an arrogant prick.” And he thinks more leaders should be.

“The critique I get on Wall Street is I’m an arrogant prick,” Karp said, gripping both sides of his chair and leaning precariously forward in his usual animated style. “Okay, great. Well, you know, judge me by the accomplishment.”