Pros: I joined Palantir from industry. I previously worked as a software engineer at a popular, large Silicon Valley tech company. I've learned more here at Palantir in a few months than I had in over a year at my previous job, and this is even after years of software engineering experience. I attribute this to the high caliber of people that I work with at Palantir, and the tremendous challenges we have to tackle. The level of impact I can have on the projects is extremely high. Not only are my contributions meaningful and make a significant difference on whether our product ships successfully or not, but also I have a pretty big level of exposure to how we deploy and sell our product out in the world. Combine that with the fact that our products have a tremendous impact on the real world in a very real manner, and you get an awesome environment that I think is very difficult to find anywhere else.

Cons: The high hiring bar means we have a hard time hiring folks, which means our teams can be strapped for people. You may wear multiple technical hats as a software engineer and be challenged in ways that will make you grow. This may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Pros: Talented, hard-working individuals. Lots of amenities. A great opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the smartest people in Silicon Valley.

Cons: Poor work-life balance, not suited for people with families. Very young middle management means that they're inexperienced and sometimes stumble on things that other managers wouldn't have issues with.

Pros: This is one of the best places to meet extremely talented peers, and you will always be challenged to do great things. Teams are small, and there's plenty of innovation going on. It's a great learning experience.

Cons: Palantir is not really a startup anymore.