Palantir Gets Partial Win in Fight With Ex-Workers at AI Startup
A judge agreed with Palantir Technologies Inc. that a trio of former employees likely violated confidentiality and non-solicitation agreements in founding their artificial intelligence startup but stopped short of halting their work at the new company, Percepta.
Palantir sued Percepta co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Hirsh Jain last year, claiming he “began an aggressive campaign to recruit numerous Palantir employees” after leaving the company in August 2024. The firm also named two other former Palantir executives who moved to Percepta as defendants, claiming Radha Jain worked to poach co-workers and Joanna Cohen stole confidential documents.
US District Judge J. Paul Oetken issued a one-page order Wednesday but did not specify what he would require of the defendants. He said he will make public a more extensive decision after ruling on requests by the parties to protect sensitive material.
Palantir had asked for an order blocking all three from continuing to work at Percepta, but Oetken denied that request.
The judge said Hirsh Jain and Radha Jain, who are not related, probably violated agreements not to solicit employees from Palantir. Oetken said Cohen likely violated Palantir’s confidentiality.
Both sides claimed victory in statements on Wednesday.
“We are pleased with the court’s decision to enjoin every defendant,” said Palantir lawyer Harris Mufson. “Today’s order sends a clear message: Palantir will act – and prevail – against those who unlawfully solicit our employees or exfiltrate our confidential information. We will continue to hold unlawful actors accountable in this case and others.”
Steven Feldman, a lawyer for the defendants, said, “We are thrilled that the court has rejected Palantir’s central claims, including their misguided non-compete and tortious interference arguments, and that the full team can get back to work building Percepta immediately.”
General Catalyst, the venture capital firm that owns Percepta, didn’t respond to a request for comment but has previously said that the Palantir lawsuit is “baseless.”
Palantir said in its suit that Hirsh Jain had worked as an executive in charge of its health care portfolio. Radha Jain designed and built Palantir’s flagship software, according to Palantir. Cohen, an engineer, worked with some of Palantir’s biggest customers.
In court papers, Palantir quoted Hirsh Jain in a text to Radha Jain saying “I’m down to pillage the best devs at palantir” for Percepta.
Palantir, co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, is best known for its work with US military and intelligence agencies, while also selling its data analysis tools to governments and commercial customers.
The case is Palantir v. Jain, 25-cv-08985, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
Photo: A logo for Palantir Technologies Inc. sits on a pop-up office ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland in 2019. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg