Pros: Mission, the impact this company has and the impact you can create as an intern is amazing. You immediately work on hard and important problems, with no side projects to keep interns busy. You're treated as a full-time employee for the most part. Culture, the people are among the friendliest and smartest out there. You can ask anyone for help. Further, from the constant internal dialogues, you can tell the company is ethically-minded and pursues success with integrity. Support system, mentor/lead/team/recruiter are all actively helping you make the internship a great experience. If there's a problem, you can raise it and it will be addressed. Personal growth, you're given a voice in what you want to do and what skills you want to improve. Travel, we had the opportunity to travel across and out of the country as interns. Perks, the free housing, 3 meals a day, the haircuts, the massages, etc., make life quite comfortable. Intern cohorting, interns in an office got to know each other pretty well and we've become friends throughout the internship. This is just my experience, but my experience isn't uncommon from what I can tell. Compensation, one of the highest out there.

Cons: Finding your own work-life balance. Because of the flexible hours, it can be difficult to find a balance that works for you when you see coworkers arriving or leaving at vastly different hours. That said, I didn't feel any pressure to work late or get in early. It's just a matter of doing what's best for you and communicating that.

Pros: High ownership and smart people.

Cons: Not very much coding day to day.

Pros: Coming from a larger technology firm where individuals were focused on self-preservation, titles, and advancement, Palantir is a breath of fresh air. People at Palantir are driven by the ability to make a major impact, both internally on projects and externally by driving solutions to important problems. The best idea truly wins at Palantir, and there have been a number of projects that evolved from the annual Hack Week events over the years. People are respectful, and many are friends outside of work. I find it easy to approach people and start a conversation. While the company has grown quite a bit since I've joined, they make great efforts to keep the culture intact. There's always been a great deal of trust in employees to do the right thing and to get their work done on time. I've never been micro-managed, and the management team has made it a point to hire smart people, provide guidance, and empower them to do what needs to be done.

Cons: You have to be comfortable working in an unstructured environment or be able to handle frequent change. This isn't necessarily a con, but Palantir values people who can work autonomously or tackle problems with minimal oversight. Some people would like a San Francisco location. I'm neutral to this.