AIG's outgoing chairman just took a new title at a Miami-Dade company. Palantir wants him to sell AI infrastructure to the entire insurance industry.
Palantir announced Peter Zaffino will join the company as global head of financial services, effective January 15, 2027. Zaffino spent more than 30 years in financial services and insurance leadership.
Who Palantir Just Hired
Zaffino previously served as CEO and Executive Chairman of AIG, stepping down as chief executive earlier this year. He's leaving AIG's board entirely this month.
John Rice, a board member since March 2022 and AIG's lead independent director, will succeed Zaffino as chairman. Zaffino will stay on at AIG as a senior adviser.
"Peter has spent his career challenging inertia and rejecting incrementalism within large enterprises," said Alex Karp, Palantir's co-founder and CEO. "We are fortunate that he is joining us."
Zaffino framed the move around infrastructure, not just software. "The organizations that will lead in the future are those that are building durable AI infrastructure today," he said.
What He's Actually Being Hired to Do
Palantir wants Zaffino to drive growth across its financial-services business specifically, spanning insurance companies, banks, asset managers and private equity firms.
The company has worked with financial institutions for nearly two decades. It places decision-making tools directly in the hands of operators rather than only data analysts. Zaffino's hire signals Palantir wants an insurance-industry insider leading that push, not just another enterprise sales executive.
Where This Hire Actually Lands
Palantir relocated its global headquarters to Aventura in February, making it the largest publicly traded company headquartered in South Florida.
Zaffino's arrival in January adds a specific, high-profile executive presence to that Miami-Dade address. He won't just be running a business unit remotely. He's joining a company whose corporate home is now a 25-minute drive from downtown Miami.
What This Means for Miami's Finance Sector
A former Fortune 500 insurance CEO just took a senior role at a company headquartered in Aventura. That's a different kind of signal than another funding round or product launch.
For South Florida's growing finance and insurance sector, it's evidence that Palantir's relocation wasn't just a tax-friendly address change. The company is now recruiting the kind of executive talent that treats Miami-Dade as a genuine operating headquarters. It's not just a mailing address.