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In honor of Independence Day, Palantir Veterans and Intelligence Community (IC) alums offer reflections on their prior service and what it means to continue to serve the mission at Palantir. In their own words, they share how the values forged in service to the nation — duty, honor, and a commitment to mission — shape the work they do today. These stories are a testament to how public service, cutting-edge technology, and a relentless mission focus come together at Palantir.
Andrew L., National Guardsman and former Army Ranger
When I was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, I saw that the difference between success and failure often came down to the quality of your team and the tools at your disposal. It’s not about having more people; it’s more important to have the right people, with the same values and focus, working together toward a shared outcome.
I spent a decade on active duty with the Army, first as a conventional infantry platoon leader and then in the 75th Ranger Regiment. Back then, our technology was limited. Mission planning meant pulling up Google Earth, moving icons around on PowerPoint decks, and wrestling with legacy systems that just didn’t keep up with the speed of operations. I remember the frustration of trying to coordinate distributed briefs, knowing there had to be a better way to collaborate and make decisions in real time.
Having worn the uniform, especially after 9/11, there was always an expectation that we’d receive the best training, the best equipment, and the best tools our nation could provide. The reality, though, was that we often had to make do with what we had, and I always felt that our warfighters deserved more, deserved better.
That’s why, when I left the military and eventually found my way to Palantir, I saw a direct line from my service in uniform to the work I do now. At Palantir, we’re building the kind of technology — like Gaia, a live, collaborative map backed by real-time data — that I wish I’d had in the field. It’s a true force multiplier, enabling warfighters to plan, track, and execute missions with a clarity and speed we could only dream of before.
My commitment to service continues in my work at Palantir, helping deliver cutting-edge software to those on the front lines. We’re part of a team, bridging the gap between defense and technology, ensuring our warfighters have every advantage possible. That’s why I serve: because the mission continues, and the stakes are just as high.
Ryna H., former CIA Case Officer
When I was in the CIA, I saw firsthand how technology could be a force multiplier for national security. As a case officer, I was out in the field, recruiting and running sources, often with limited resources and under constant threat.
One thing that always struck me was how much time we spent piecing together patterns, whether it was tracking surveillance in hostile countries or reviewing historical case files to understand what led to successful recruitments. If I’d had access to Palantir Foundry back then, it would have been a game-changer. Being able to run analytics on surveillance data or recruitment patterns would have helped me and my colleagues see hotspots and trends in real time, instead of spending hours poring over clunky spreadsheets or incomplete records. Foundry would have helped us play better defense while going on the offense.
Now, at Palantir, I see how our technology empowers national security agencies to do more with less, to make warfighters stronger, and to keep our country and allies safe. Our tools help agencies break down silos, analyze vast amounts of data, and act quickly in dynamic environments. The mission focus at Palantir mirrors what I knew in the field: protecting the nation by giving good people the best tools possible. In a world where technology is moving exponentially, bridging the gap between the agency and the tech sector isn’t just important — it’s essential to staying ahead of our adversaries. Supporting that mission at Palantir is absolutely a continuation of my oath to serve.
JC F., former CIA Collection Management Officer
After 9/11, I wanted to help defend our nation. That motivation led me to study international conflicts and the psychology of terrorism in graduate school before joining the CIA’s Directorate of Operations as a Collection Management Officer.
At CIA, I worked alongside mission-driven people dedicated to filling intelligence gaps so that our nation’s leaders could make informed decisions impacting American diplomacy, defense, and economic statecraft. In my operational role, I protected CIA’s mandate as the “collector of last resort” by leveraging our human sources — whose reputations, jobs, and lives were at risk for cooperating with American intelligence — only when no other government agency could collect the needed intel. I felt the weight of that responsibility every day, whether in Baghdad or at Headquarters, and it inspired me to give my all. My years at CIA taught me how to absorb complexity quickly, communicate clearly, leverage resources efficiently, juggle priorities, and execute under pressure.
While serving at a small CIA station in a country that had recently experienced a revolution, we had to make do with limited resources amid the real fear of being overrun. Looking back, I realize Palantir Foundry would have been a force multiplier, helping us track potential threats, movements, and operational logistics, and enabling us to keep a lower profile in-country to protect the safety of CIA officers and our sources.
Nearly a decade after I left the Agency, I was reintroduced to Palantir. I saw how the software I had trained on as a young officer had evolved, now enabling everything from commercial innovation to the rapid, efficient distribution of the COVID vaccine in the US and the UK. It was clear to me that Palantir was taking on missions that mattered, and I wanted to be a part of it.
Joining Palantir felt familiar, with its fast-paced, high-impact work environment and employees who consistently demonstrate high ownership and mission focus. On my first day, a fellow CIA alum welcomed me to Palantir over lunch, a small gesture that spoke volumes about Palantir’s sense of community and inspired me to establish Pal Intel, a club for Intelligence Community alumni, alongside Rick G. and Ryna H.
During my Palantir career, I’ve supported missions across the business, from commercial enterprises to defense and intelligence. The work we are doing is truly transformational: building and deploying innovative technology that is strengthening American defense and industrial capabilities, supporting our allies, and powering critical missions around the world.
Sarah S., Army Reservist and former Intelligence Community Officer
A mentor in the Intelligence Community used to say, “Always be learning and growing and hungry,” a reminder that continues to guide my work at the intersection of data science and mission operations.
I started in the Army Reserves and first deployed to Syria to solve a data challenge: building a database (yes, a database) to transfer sensor data from various INTs back stateside. My first big project was democratizing data from the point of collection to intel analyst for the joint task force I was supporting, which also happened to use Palantir as our Common Operating Picture (COP). I was often asked to help build tools and integrations in and around the Palantir software — a challenging prospect at the time — and I frequently pushed our Field Service Representative (FSR) to explore API integrations. Back then, I was a real Palantir skeptic. Years later, Palantir has come far in enabling green suiters to serve as developers, harnessing powerful tools and capabilities to build their own workflows to drive outcomes.
More cool analytic projects followed, all focused on making better use of the data and asking: “What tools don’t exist? How do we build in and around the systems we have access to in a way that will drive operations forward?” While also realized we need to focus on enabling users to trust these systems in order for them to actually adopt them over existing processes.
I left government frustrated by both bureaucratic barriers that hindered digital transformation and the lack of focus developing AI systems that would truly enable analysis and operations. My first private sector job was at an AI company that built models in a vacuum, with little clarity on how they could be used or what real-world problems they might solve, nor how users could actually trust the outputs for critical decisions. We needed to be asking those questions. I wanted to be part of the solution by helping remove barriers that prevent the government from adopting transformative technology at the pace it needs.
I joined Palantir because its software delivers results. Palantir partners with some of the most high-impact institutions across defense, intelligence, civil, and commercial sectors to help them understand and harness their data, build and evaluate new AI systems, and ultimately achieve digital transformation.
It’s incredible to witness those lightbulb moments. I’m an example that the harshest critics can become some of our fiercest advocates.
Rick G., former CIA Targeting Officer
I spent over seven years as a targeting officer at CIA and was also briefly at FBI. What really stuck with me from those days in the Intelligence Community is what it feels like to be the user; the one stuck with incredible access to data but clunky tools to interact with it that don’t quite do what you need. That empathy sticks with me. I know how frustrating it is to wish someone had just built the right thing the first time.
Late in my Agency days, I started building tools, some by myself and others with the help of the talented people around me. That build, test, destroy, fix, ship cycle was my favorite period of time during my Agency career. I loved it so much that when I realized there was no real growth path for me to do that full time, I only applied to one place: Palantir. I wanted to keep building, keep enabling, just on a bigger scale.
At Palantir, I wear two hats: builder and instructor. I lead a team that has the freedom to be creative, that builds what’s actually needed first, and figures out the business-side second. This environment has led us to real successes by focusing on building for real operational needs. It’s incredibly rewarding to see multiple tools that we built being used on an ops floor and helped us realize we can’t (and shouldn’t) build it all on our own. This realization inspired a new era in how we do business: the builder-user.
I make sure Palantir users can build and share tools on our platform. When they can do this by and for themselves is the ultimate win. I run app building classes while also working right alongside soldiers and government folks so they can build the tools they always wanted. I see firsthand how much Foundry and our other tools expand their capabilities and, most profoundly, how it enables those who have no coding or technical skills to perform the same engineering tasks that I had to depend on others to do back in my Agency days.
When I look for new hires at Palantir, I want to see people who’ve built things for themselves, who’ve shown that drive to make the day-to-day better for those around them or even just themselves. The curiosity, intention, and willingness to not just accept what is handed to them are what I’m focused on, not just for Palantir, but for the mission we’re all here to serve.
Claire R., Army Reservist
I’ve always been a reservist — Army Reserve intel, always intelligence. My military service has been a big identity point for me, shaping how I treat people with respect and how I think about culture and geopolitics. I’ve had opportunities and visibility I wouldn’t have had otherwise, and that’s important to our work, figuring out how to best support the warfighter.
My first deployment overseas is where I found Palantir. I met another “Hobbit” as a Field Service Rep supporting missions, and seeing her perspective inspired me. Palantir’s software directly contributed to our mission success. It provided safe, secure ways to access data, which was critical, especially during my deployment in Afghanistan overlapping with COVID. That mission orientation — Palantir emulates the Army ethos in a way I hadn’t seen in other software.
Transitioning to Palantir after my service felt natural. My civilian careers have always aligned with the mission, and I wanted to be closer to it. The biggest impact from my prior service is the ability to empathize with users. I can translate between software engineer and Army, sitting side-by-side with users to truly understand their needs and bring those insights back to our engineers.
We have a duty here to make sure our work is done ethically and continues to elevate what the warfighter needs on the ground. In a world where new tech is constantly being developed, good stewardship on both sides — military and developer — is critical. My advice to others: don’t worry about not being technical enough. Soft skills are a huge crux for how our business operates. Your voice and ethical investments are just as valuable as technical skills.
Webster B., former Army Judge Advocate
I served as a Judge Advocate in Army special operations units for my entire active-duty commitment. Working alongside elite teams, I experienced a strong esprit de corps and a shared sense of purpose. As my unit’s in-house counsel, I handled everything from military justice to operational law. I loved every minute of it.
The military shaped me deeply, especially in caring for people and leading from the front. I learned to inspire teams and keep everyone focused on the mission. Leadership and a relentless commitment to excellence became core values for me, traits I see echoed at Palantir. My service also taught me what it takes to be an effective teammate: dependability, the courage to challenge when necessary, direct communication, and genuine care for your people.
I first encountered Palantir’s software during my military service. Today, the technology has advanced dramatically. Software is now central to modern warfare, enabling military leaders to make faster, better decisions.
Joining Palantir was the easiest career decision I’ve ever made. The company’s mission, the caliber of my colleagues, and the autonomy I enjoy here all stand out.
At Palantir, I see the impact of our work every day, knowing our software gives America a real edge. I’m proud to continue serving the mission, just in a new way.
At Palantir, duty, honor, and innovation are foundational to our work. The reflections above demonstrate how we channel our experiences into building technology that empowers those who protect and serve, and helps strengthen the nation’s defense in a rapidly changing world.
If you feel called to serve, join us in shaping the future of mission-driven innovation: palantir.com/careers.
Why We Serve: Palantirians Reflect on Duty, Honor & Innovation was originally published in Palantir Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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