[well_ackshually]

Do you have any proof they don't? Do you have any proof the "AI System" that they use to filter out candidates doesn't "accidentally" access data ? Are you willing to bet that Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, won't sell access to that information?

Also, in some cases: they absolutely do. Try to get hired in Palantir and see how much they know about your browsing history. Anything related to national security or requiring clearances has you investigated.

[linkregister]

The last time I went through the Palantir hiring process, the effort on their end was almost exclusively on technical and cultural fit interviews. My references told me they had not been contacted.

Calibrating your threat model against this attack is unlikely to give you any alpha in 2026. Hiring at tech companies and government is much less deliberate than your mental model supposes.

The current extent of background checks is an API call to Checkr. This is simply to control hiring costs.

As a heuristic, speculated information to build a threat model is unlikely to yield a helpful framework.

[bossyTeacher]

>the effort on their end was almost exclusively on technical and cultural fit interviews

How could you possibly know if they use other undisclosed methods as part of the recruitment? You are assuming Palatir would behave ethically. Palantir, the company that will never win awards based on ethics

[linkregister]

References were not contacted. Colleagues at the company are unaware of such practices.

It is impossible to prove a negative, but having strongly held beliefs without evidence is an antipattern.

[basket_horse]

You’re over thinking it. Like all top tech companies, they just want the best engineers.

[tl]

On the contrary, they hire the trendiest: https://danluu.com/programmer-moneyball/

[basket_horse]

Yeah this seems accurate, I just mean they aren’t looking at your google searches when deciding if they should hire you.

[well_ackshually]

Ah yes, Palantir is "just" a tech company.

Notwithstanding the fact that tech companies hire dogshit employees all the time and the vast majority of employees of any company of size 1000+ are average at best, Palantir happens to be rating so high on the scale of evil that I'd pop champagne if it got nuked tomorrow.

If any company would do it, it would be Palantir.

[basket_horse]

That’s the point. If any company would do it, it’s Palantir, and they don’t. In fact it’s quite the opposite. Their negative public image makes hiring more difficult causing them to accept what they can get.

Also, I’m not saying they have the best talent, just that they want the best talent.

[raw_anon_1111]

As if any company that did that is a company I would want to work for.

For instance back when I was interviewing at startups and other companies where I was going to be a strategic hire, I would casually mention how much I enjoyed spending time on my hobbies and with my family on the weekend so companies wouldn’t even extend an offer if they wanted someone “passionate” who would work 60 hours a week and be on call.

[two_tasty]

I certainly understand this perspective.

But is it really so hard to imagine a world where your individual choice to "opt-out" or work for companies that don't use that info is a massive detriment to your individual life? It doesn't have to be every single company doing it for you to have no _practical_ choice about it (if you want to make market rate for your services.)

[raw_anon_1111]

I live my life by the “Ben Kenobi” principal. I’m 51, when things go completely to shit, I’ll just go out and live as a hermit somewhere.

[ares623]

Ah the ol’ “fuck you got mine” approach

[raw_anon_1111]

Exactly what am I suppose to do? I vote for politicians who talk about universal healthcare, universal child care, public funding of college education and trade schools etc.

But the country and the people who could most benefit from it are more concerned with whatever fake outrage Fox News comes up with an anti woke something or the other.

So yeah, if this is the country America wants, I’m over it. I’ve done my bid.

While other people talk about leaving the country, we are seriously doing research and we are going to spend a month and a half outside of the US this year and I’ve already looked at residency requirements in a couple of countries after retirement including the one we are going to in a month and a half.

[acuozzo]

> Exactly what am I suppose to do?

I think GP is suggesting that you're supposed to do something akin to what Ben Kenobi did while aboard the Death Star, not what he did beforehand.

This, in no way, represents my own feelings or opinion on this matter. I'm just trying to aid the conversation.

[moi2388]

“ Do you have any proof they don't?”

Do you have any proof they don’t have a goose randomly deciding to hire you?

The lack of proof gives no credence to it actually happening