Palantir Technologies (PLTR) is testing a bold alternative to higher education with its new “Meritocracy Fellowship,” a program offering high-school graduates full-time work experience instead of a university degree, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The initiative, launched under Chief Executive Alex Karp, reflects Palantir’s (PLTR) view that U.S. universities no longer cultivate the kind of talent or independent thinking needed in today’s workforce. The fellowship drew more than 500 applicants, and the inaugural class of 22 participants will complete the four-month program in November. Those who perform well may be offered permanent roles at the company—no college diploma required.
The program began with a monthlong seminar on Western political and cultural foundations, featuring guest speakers and lessons on figures like Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. Participants studied the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, took improv-based communication classes and visited historical sites such as Gettysburg.
Following the seminars, fellows joined Palantir (PLTR) teams as “forward-deployed engineers,” a role that places employees directly with clients in industries ranging from defense and healthcare to insurance. The company says the arrangement was designed as an intensive “trial by fire” to identify candidates who can thrive in complex real-world environments.
Karp, who holds degrees from Haverford College and Stanford Law School, has criticized modern academia for producing graduates “engaged in platitudes” rather than problem-solving. His fellowship program aims to identify exceptional young workers early, bypassing what he describes as a broken admissions system.
Palantir (PLTR), best known for its data-analytics work with U.S. government agencies and commercial clients, says it will assess whether to expand the fellowship after evaluating the first cohort. Company officials believe the experiment could redefine how employers source talent in an era of rising skepticism toward higher education.