Many college students across in the U.S. While most students are still immersed in their academic work, a select group of learners is on the verge of celebrating their graduation. Rather than completing their studies at a prestigious university, they're finishing a specialized course at the $452 billion tech behemoth Palantir.
TL;DR
- Palantir recruited 22 high schoolers for a fellowship, bypassing traditional university preparation.
- CEO Alex Karp believes Palantir offers a superior credential, avoiding college debt and "indoctrination."
- The fellowship aims to provide practical experience, with successful fellows potentially interviewing for jobs.
- This reflects a broader Gen Z trend questioning higher education's value and career readiness.
This April, the company introduced its Meritocracy Fellowship, a four-month paid internship designed for recent high school graduates who aren't currently attending college. To qualify for the program, applicants needed Ivy League-level test scores, and out of more than 500 who applied, only 22 teenagers were selected. This group included individuals who found attending college unappealing or were not accepted into their dream schools, according to WSJ reporting. During their time there, the students were educated on U.S. The history and foundations of the West are explored, with Palantir's full-time employees collaborating to address technical challenges and enhance products. Palantir is known controversially for its defense technology, particularly providing software for ICE and running data analytics for the U.S. The Army, experiencing a revival under the Trump administration.
This month, fellows will conclude the program, having chosen to defer their undergraduate studies. Those who “excelled” will have the opportunity to interview for a paid position within the company.
While the fellowship might seem unusual, major tech firms such as Meta have a history of recruiting promising graduates immediately after they complete their university studies.
Palantir's initiative mirrors CEO Alex Karp's contempt for university studies; the position was promoted as an avenue to “get the Palantir degree” and "avoid debt." Avoid the indoctrination.
“Everything you learned at your school and college about how the world works is intellectually incorrect,” Karp told CNBC in an interview earlier this year.
Fortune reached out to Palantir for comment.
Alex Karp blasts college indoctrination
Karp, alongside CEOs such as Ford’s Jim Farley and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, is among those who are questioning the value of college degrees today. The Palantir executive even goes so far as to entirely ignore prestigious degrees when evaluating potential hires for the firm. He believes that practical experience gained at Palantir serves as a superior instructor.
“If you did not go to school, or you went to a school that’s not that great, or you went to Harvard or Princeton or Yale, once you come to Palantir, you’re a Palantirian—no one cares about the other stuff,” Karp said At its Q2 2025 earnings conference. This is unquestionably the premier credential in the tech industry. Your career is secured if you join Palantir.
Despite being a graduate of several colleges—including Stanford University—Karp has slammed higher education institutions for lowering their current admissions criteria, the “woke” culture on campuses and failing to prepare Preparing individuals for their careers.
“People with less than a college education are creating a lot of value—and sometimes more value than people with a college education—using our product,” Karp continued during the earnings call.
“Opaque admissions standards at many American universities have displaced meritocracy and excellence,” the Palantir posting echoed.
Consequently, deserving students are being prevented from receiving an education due to arbitrary and superficial standards. Without a system that rewards merit, universities have transformed into environments where extremism and disorder flourish.
Younger individuals are increasingly opting out of higher education.
The graduation of Palanteens from the company is a minor illustration of a wider trend among Gen Z high school students who are questioning the value of pursuing higher education.
Seven out of ten Americans believe the U.S. Higher education system is heading in the wrong direction, according to recent data from the Pew Research Center. Furthermore, 55% of Americans expressed dissatisfaction with how colleges and universities prepare students for lucrative careers in today's job market, assigning them poor evaluations. This indicates increasing dissatisfaction due to a scarcity of entry-level positions, escalating tuition fees, and the fact that once-profitable academic fields, such as computer science, are now being surpassed by artificial intelligence.
As of July, 58% of students who graduated from college in the past year were still trying to find stable work, compared with 25% of millennials and Gen Xers who faced the same issue, a Kickresume report found. And they’re losing hope to get a job at some of the most popular employers; hiring for new graduates among the 15 biggest tech companies has fallen by over 50% since 2019, according to VC firm SignalFire.
Graduates facing unemployment after college is a worry, and this is made worse by the financial obligations they're compelled to manage.
A recent Newsweek poll conducted revealed that the typical Gen Zer is burdened with over $94,000 in personal debt. This figure contrasts sharply with millennials, who owe approximately $60,000, and Gen Xers, with an average debt of $53,000. Earlier this month, it was also reported that Gen Z experienced the most significant annual credit score decline among all age groups since 2020. According to the report, the average FICO credit score dropped by three points, reaching 676, which is 39 points below the national average of 715.