Alex Karp Says Working At Palantir Is The 'Best Credential In Tech', Takes A Dig At Elite Colleges

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) CEO Alex Karp used the company's latest earnings call to jab elite colleges and elevate on-the-job merit, saying the data analytics giant is building "a new credential independent of class," and that at Palantir, "no one cares about the other stuff," like an Ivy League diploma.

What Happened: "If you did not go to school, or you went to a school that's not that great, or you went to Harvard or Princeton or Yale, once you come to Palantir, you're a Palantirian, no one cares about the other stuff," Karp said during the company's second-quarter earnings call. "We are making a new credential independent of class and background at Palantir."

Karp added that many new hires arrive from universities "engaged in platitudes," and argued people without degrees are creating "a lot of value — and sometimes more value" using Palantir's software. He also called a stint at the company "by far the best credential in tech," adding, "If you come to Palantir, your career is set."

See Also: Alex Karp Thanks Retail Investors For Palantir’s Rise: ‘Stop Talking To The Haters, They’re Suffering’

The remarks came as Palantir posted its first $1 billion revenue quarter and raised guidance, extending a stock rally that drew wall-to-wall attention on Wall Street. The company posted a revenue of about $1.004 billion for the second quarter, above estimates, and noted the shares jumped in after-hours trading as analysts debated how long the momentum can last.

Why It Matters: Karp's stance fits a broader shift in tech toward nontraditional pathways. Palantir launched a Meritocracy Fellowship this spring to recruit young talent outside standard academic pipelines, part of a growing ecosystem that includes programs encouraging founders to skip or leave college.

Investors and founders have also amplified skepticism of universities. Business Insider has chronicled a "dropout graduation" scene and the rise of anti-credential rhetoric in Silicon Valley, while the Washington Post’s recent report showed prominent venture capitalist Marc Andreessen blasting elite campuses in private messages to policymakers.

Elon Musk is also of the view that formal degrees are often unnecessary for top roles at Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) or SpaceX.

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