Independent explainer — not affiliated with Palantir Technologies Inc.

Straight, sourced answers to the questions people actually ask about Palantir.

No spin, no advocacy. Every claim on this site is attributed to a named source — company filings, court documents, journalism, or the company's own statements — so you can check it yourself.

Company & Finance

What Does Palantir Do?

Turning scattered data into one usable system, plainly explained.

What Is Palantir Gotham?

The original government and defense platform.

What Is Palantir Foundry?

The commercial platform driving most of Palantir's growth.

What Is the Palantir Ontology?

The data-mapping concept underneath every product.

What Is Palantir AIP? A Deeper Look

How the AI Platform actually acts on real data.

What Is a Palantir AIP Bootcamp?

How a 5-day workshop turns into new customers.

How Does Palantir Make Money?

Subscriptions, Acquire-Expand-Scale, and margins.

Who Founded Palantir?

Thiel, Karp, PayPal, and In-Q-Tel.

What Does "Palantir" Mean?

The Tolkien origin, and its double edge.

Is Palantir a Defense Contractor?

Military, law enforcement, and civilian work.

Who Are Palantir's Biggest Customers?

From the U.S. Army to Airbus to the NHS.

The Palantir–Rio Tinto Partnership

A 2021 mining deal that's since expanded to AI.

Why Is Palantir Stock So Volatile?

Fast growth, a rich valuation, and sensitive contracts.

How to Buy Palantir Stock

Ticker, exchange, and the actual steps.

What Is a Forward Deployed Engineer?

Palantir's most talked-about job title.

How Hard Is It to Get a Job at Palantir?

What the interview data actually shows.

What Are Common Palantir Interview Questions?

The actual question categories, not just difficulty stats.

What Does Palantir Pay?

Real salary data, from two different sources.

What Career Paths Exist at Palantir?

Sales, legal, product, and more — beyond engineering.

What Is Palantir Apollo?

The deployment layer that keeps everything running, even offline.

What Government Contracts Does Palantir Hold?

A consolidated, factual reference list by agency.

What Has Palantir's Revenue Growth Looked Like?

The actual numbers and trend, year by year.

How Does Palantir Report Earnings?

The reporting cadence, and a recent pattern of beats.

What Are Palantir's Key Financial Metrics?

Rule of 40, adjusted FCF, and what to actually look at.

How to Read Palantir's Financial Statements

10-Ks, audits, and what the numbers actually mean.

What Do Analysts Say About Palantir Stock?

Attributed ratings and targets — not our own advice.

Comparisons

Controversies — Sourced From Multiple Sides