Many stocks have struggled significantly recently, but one tech company has mostly performed well, despite some volatility.
Palantir Technologies (PLTR) is demonstrating a clear ability to overcome even unfavorable market conditions. Originally a data analytics company, it has emerged as a leader in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and defense technology.
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In today’s difficult climate, even the strongest tech stocks are facing an uphill battle as President Donald Trump’s recent tariffs continue to push down entire sectors amid rising uncertainty. For investors, this has sparked many questions as to the future of high-growth industries such as AI and if companies heavily invested in it can recover.
So far, Palantir’s growth has inspired hope that the AI market still has room to run. But the company is launching a new recruitment campaign that may be controversial for a number of reasons.
Image source: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Palantir is taking a page out of its founder’s playbook
Although he’s not the current CEO, Palantir is often associated with one man who helped found it. A noted venture capitalist, Thiel has helped found and grow several of the tech sector’s most prominent companies, including PayPal, Facebook, and Palantir.
One thing Thiel is best known for, though, is his stance against higher education. Despite holding two degrees from Stanford University, he is a vocal critic of universities and has even launched a fellowship program that pays aspiring entrepreneurs to drop out of college and start a company.
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Now Palantir is taking a similar approach as it maneuvers to attract new talent. The company has launched what it refers to as the “Meritocracy Fellowship,” a four-month internship program for recent high school graduates who have not enrolled in college.
The position pays roughly $5,400 per month, more than plenty of post-college internship programs. Palantir’s job posting suggests that the company is especially interested in candidates with experience in programming and statistical analysis.
“Opaque admissions standards at many American universities have displaced meritocracy and excellence,” the company states. “As a result, qualified students are being denied an education based on subjective and shallow criteria. Absent meritocracy, campuses have become breeding grounds for extremism and chaos.”
There don’t seem to be any restrictions on who can apply, as long as students have graduated high school and are not taking any accredited college courses. However, the program does require an SAT score of 1460 or higher and an ACT score of at least 33. Both marks are considered extremely high.
That requirement suggests that Palantir isn’t completely rejecting the higher education system.
While the company doesn’t require a personal statement or cover letter, it does ask applicants to respond to a few basic questions about past accomplishments and why they want to work there, both of which feel reminiscent of the questions posed by some colleges as part of their application process.
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The company also notes that candidates who complete the Meritocracy Fellowship and demonstrate exceptional success will be able to interview for full-time positions at the company, seemingly without a college degree.
Will other tech companies follow Palantir’s lead?
Thiel isn’t the only Palantir founder to issue strong criticisms of America’s university system. CEO Alex Karp recently stated that “everything you learned at your school and college about how the world works is intellectually incorrect,” a statement that sounds similar to Thiel’s previous anti-college diatribes.
While it is unclear how many applicants will be drawn to this fellowship, the tech community does seem to be embracing the anti-education stance championed by Thiel and Karp.
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“Just last month, an 18-year-old startup founder with a business bringing in $30 million in annual recurring revenue went viral on X after revealing that he was rejected by 15 of the 18 elite colleges he applied to, despite a 4.0 GPA and near-perfect standardized test scores,” reports Business Insider.
Additionally, recent high school graduates may not have the skills necessary to perform the work required at an industry-leading firm like Palantir. But the industry is dealing with a lack of qualified professionals, and many founders seem to think action is necessary.
Elon Musk has advocated that the U.S. government expand the H-1B visa program that brings internationally born tech workers to the U.S. But until that happens, Palantir may have found a solution to address the labor shortage.
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