Palantir, the largest defence technology software company in America, is shaking up the traditional path to employment with an ambitious internship program designed to challenge the conventional college education model. The company’s Meritocracy Fellowship, aimed at recent high school graduates, offers an alternative route to a career in technology, bypassing the traditional four-year college experience.
In a bold move that directly challenges the status quo, Palantir’s blog post criticises the “college industrial complex,” stating, “The college industrial complex wants you on their timeline: four years of prerequisites, debt, and indoctrination. While they debate DEI vs. SATs, we’re focused on one thing: building.” This statement underscores Palantir’s commitment to providing a practical, hands-on education that prioritises skill-building over theoretical learning.
The Meritocracy Fellowship is open to 18-year-olds who have recently graduated from high school. The program begins with an introductory phase that includes required readings, debates led by Palantir employees, and guest lectures from prominent figures in technology and academia. Fellows have attended presentations from notable speakers such as Bob McGrew, chief research officer at OpenAI, and Edward Wittenstein, who teaches courses on artificial intelligence and national security at Yale University.
Despite the program’s innovative approach, some fellows have faced criticism for choosing this path over traditional college education. In a video on the company’s blog, one fellow shared, “Every single person, and this has been an experience for a lot of us, told me not to do this. It was, like, basically unanimous.” However, Palantir CEO Alex Karp is unfazed by the scepticism. He told three fellows, “The amount of pressure we’re putting on universities — you might underestimate. If we do this program for a couple years — let’s just say we scale to, like, 80, 90 people — that’s a real problem for the universities.” Karp added, “Every single system is parasitic. Our job is to break that.”
As the program progresses, fellows are assigned to customer-facing and software engineering teams, where they take on the regular responsibilities of full-time, salaried employees. This hands-on experience is designed to provide fellows with a comprehensive understanding of the industry and the skills necessary to succeed in it.
The company recently announced the participants of the inaugural cohort of its New York City-based Meritocracy Fellowship. Margaret ‘Marge’ York, Palantir’s head of talent, stated that over 500 people applied to the first cohort, with 22 currently participating. She added that “more than a handful” of these interns are expected to receive full-time employment offers from Palantir by December.
The second cohort, scheduled to run from August to December 2026, will receive a stipend of $5,400 a month. When interviewing prospective fellows, York looked for “true diversity of thought,” adding, “it’s not enough to just be smart.” She believes three qualities help shape a strong applicant: technical process, high agency, and maturity. “The ones that really differentiated themselves from the pack are doers. They’re builders, and they’re just deeply inclined to get hands on,” York said to Business Insider.
Those interviewing for the program should expect technical assessments and questions about why other paths, such as a traditional college experience, may “not serve them at this point,” York noted. Most fellows accepted into the first cohort had solid coding skills, which York said were, in some cases, better than Palantir’s post-undergraduate hires.
Palantir’s Meritocracy Fellowship represents a significant shift in the way we think about education and employment. By offering an alternative to traditional college education, the company is not only providing an opportunity for young people to gain valuable skills and experience but also challenging the established norms of the education system. As the program continues to grow and evolve, it will be interesting to see how it shapes the future of the defence technology industry and beyond.