Palantir Technologies, a data analytics and defense software company, hosted an invitation-only recruitment event on March 2, 2026 at Cornell University’s Upson Hall. Cornell Daily Sunstudents attending the session were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), present identification and leave their bags at the front of the room before entering.The event was described as a private session coordinated with specific Cornell project teams. A university spokesperson said the visit was not a public recruiting event and was conducted directly with certain student teams rather than through wider campus recruiting channels.About thirty students participated in the event. One student participant, who the paper did not want to be named due to legal concerns, said the session included engineers presenting the company’s work followed by a question-and-answer session.“There was no obstruction,” said the attendant the sundescribing the event as “some engineers talking about their product”. The event included company presentations, a slide show and promotional materials for attendees, the student added.According to the student’s account, more than five officers from the Cornell University Police Department were in the hallway outside the room during the event.
A defense technology company with government contracts.
Palantir Technologies is a Denver-based company that develops data analysis platforms used by government and commercial clients. The firm has billions of dollars in federal contracts, including a ten-year enterprise contract with the U.S. military worth up to $10 billion.One of Palantir’s products, known as Gotham, is used by the US intelligence community and Defense Department agencies to analyze large data sets and identify patterns linking people, places and events.The company also has a $30 million contract with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. The agreement supports the development of ImmigrationOS, a monitoring platform used to assist in deportation proceedings.According to a report by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Acquisition Management, ImmigrationOS uses data analysis tools and artificial intelligence to combine information from government databases to identify and track individuals targeted for deportation.Palantir’s relationship with ICE has been criticized by civil liberties organizations.
Recruitment event details
Students attending the Cornell session said the event focused primarily on Palantir’s technology and career opportunities. According to the sunparticipants were grouped according to the engineering project teams with which they were associated.Teams mentioned during the event included Cornell Custom Silicon Systems, Cornell Autonomous Drones, Cornell Data Science, Cornell Mars Rover and Cornell Rocketry, attendees told the newspaper.The event also demonstrated Palantir’s Gaia interface, a mapping tool that is part of the Gotham system and allows teams in the field to share information and coordinate operations.During the presentation, a recruiter allegedly cited an email sent by a soldier in Afghanistan that described how a Palantir product had helped improve operational efficiency, according to attendees.Palantir’s contracts with ICE were not discussed during the event, the student said.Cornell alumni employed at Palantir at the time also attended the session. According to the participants, they shared their experiences of working in the company and discussed how they joined the firm.
Invitations and NDA requirements
Another student who attended the event told the newspaper that the invitation process began with an email sent to members of the Cornell project team in January. The email encouraged team members to express interest in the recruitment event.After expressing interest, the student received follow-up emails from Kristen Wu, Palantir’s talent coordinator, with Emily Waldman, a technology recruiter for the company, transcribing the messages. Copies of these emails were obtained by the sunOn February 24, the student received an official invitation that explained the recruitment session and mentioned that selected participants could participate in an accelerated interview process. According to the email, the process will include a coding challenge, a virtual interview and a final interview with the hiring manager.A later email sent on February 28 confirmed the location and time of the event. The message also informed students that they would be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement and asked them not to share session details with others.“Please note: This is invitation only,” Wu wrote in the message, according to the Cornell Daily Sun. “Please do not share these details with others as we have limited capacity.”According to a copy obtained by the newspaper, the NDA prohibited participants from removing documents or equipment from the company’s premises and from recording or copying information that occurred during the visit.
University response
the sun Cornell University asked whether the institution’s career services office coordinated the recruitment event and why identity checks, security presences and nondisclosure agreements were required.Companies can structure campus recruiting in a number of ways, including working through Cornell Career Services, individual colleges or student project teams, a university spokeswoman said.“Employers can choose to organize recruiting events on their campuses in a variety of ways, through Cornell Career Services, directly with the college or school, or through project teams,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the newspaper. “The Plantier tour was always a private, invite-only program coordinated with specific project teams.”
Activist Criticism
The recruitment program also drew criticism from a student activist group known as the 333 Artists Collective. Before the event, members posted flyers around campus directing students to a website critical of Palantir and Cornell’s ties to the company.The website contained messages opposing the company’s work with U.S. immigration officials and listed the names and photos of Cornell students and alumni who were employed by Palantir.In an email statement to the sunmembers of the collective said the site reflects concerns about companies that contract with ICE and other law enforcement agencies.The group said many of its members have friends and family affected by recent immigration enforcement operations.The Palantir hiring session followed another technology event at Cornell in February that featured defense company Andorel Industries. It ended after several minutes when protesters interrupted the presentation.Anduril develops AIe-based surveillance systems used along the US southern border and has partnered with US Customs and Border Protection since 2019.Members of the 333 Artists Collective said their campaign was aimed at drawing attention to the role universities play in providing talent to companies working in defense and surveillance technology.“We wanted to remind people that companies like Palantir and Andorel have the power to influence American citizens by fostering an environment where Palantir would not feel welcome to recruit from Cornell,” the group wrote in a statement to the newspaper.
